Tiva: A Love Story
by tivamcabby5
Summary: See what happens over the course of a few years with Tony and Ziva and their growing family! MAJOR TIVA! Starts with "Finally". Updated with "Hurt". Someone's coming to visit!
1. Finally

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Finally**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

**Note: this is the revised edition of this chapter**

* * *

Tony stormed into the men's room, only to find the main cause of his problems leaning against the wall, tapping their foot.

"This is the _men's_ room, Zee-vah. For men," he explained. "Not for crazy ninja chicks."

"Something is worming you, Tony," she said, ignoring his comment.

"Bugging. Something is _bugging_ me," he replied, leaning on the sink.

"And what is wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"You, Ziva. Ever since you got back from Somalia, you haven't been the same."

"People change, Tony."

"I know that," he said, looking away. "I just miss the old Ziva."

"It is still me, Tony," she said, gently placing her hand on his cheek and turning his head towards her, forcing him to make eye contact.

"I just wish it could be the same, Zi."

"So do I, Tony. So do I," she said, looking deep into his bright green eyes.

"So why can't it be the same?"

"Tony, you know what I went through with Saleem this past summer. I had a lot of time to think then and-" she began but was interrupted.

"Ziva…when I said I couldn't live without you…I meant that…" he said, staring at her. "Ziva…Ziva, I love you. I really truly do."

"Tony, I have loved you ever since I first met you, and I always will," she said, stepping closer to him.

They stared into each other's eyes and leaned in. They closed their eyes and crushed their lips together. All of the feelings they had kept locked up for years suddenly broke free. Tony lifted Ziva up onto the counter and continued to kiss her. Otherwise occupied and with their eyes closed, neither Tony nor Ziva noticed the bathroom door open.

Gibbs, stunned at first, quickly recovered and quietly made his way over to the urinal. Tony and Ziva, still passionately kissing, did not notice him. Gibbs washed his hands and grabbed a paper towel. He tossed it into the garbage and walked towards the door.

Pausing for a moment, he turned and looked at the kissing couple. He shook his head and let out a little laugh. "Finally," he said, closing the door behind him.


	2. Rule 12

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Rule #12**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

**Note: this is the revised version of this chapter**

* * *

Tony couldn't seem to figure out why he was so nervous about Ziva coming over to watch a movie. He'd had plenty of girls over to his house before…but he never was nervous about _them_.

_Knock knock._ Tony scrambled up from his kitchen table to answer the door, but then slowed down, not trying to seem too excited.

"Hello, Tony," Ziva says, stopping to give him a quick kiss before walking into the apartment.

"Hey, Zi…whoa…you look…" Tony stammered, gaping at her. Ziva was wearing straight-legged jeans with a forest green fitted t-shirt. _Simple, but reeeeally sexy, _Tony thought.

"Is something wrong, Tony?"

"Huh? Oh…no…nothings...wrong…" Tony said, quickly looking away. "What do you want for pizza?"

Ziva was really nervous as well, but she couldn't figure out why. She figured it was probably because the only other time she was at Tony's house was...well…never…and he's a coworker of hers and…she had no idea why she was so nervous. "Just cheese, please, Tony."

Tony ordered the pizza, and went to sit on the couch with Ziva. He saw how shy she was and asked her, "What's wrong Zi?"

"I'm trying to figure out why I'm so anxious. I've never really been this anxious before, Tony."

"Maybe it's 'cause you _really_ like me." And just with the way he looked at her, Ziva was comforted.

"Maybe it is," she said as she smiled.

They sat together on the couch together, silent, for about ten minutes, just speaking with their eyes.

_Ding dong._

"Oooh! Pizza's here!" Tony said, breaking the silence. He sat down with the pizza and two beers. He popped in the movie for the night, _The Bourne Ultimatum_.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Ziva was having trouble understanding it, so Tony pressed the pause button on the remote. "You're not really enjoying this, are you Zi?" he asked.

She shakes her head. "I was thinking, Tony…what about…Gibbs…and Rule #12…"

"Ooohh…" he said, chuckling. "Never date a coworker…riiiight…"

"What do you think Gibbs will say?" she asked, staring into Tony's bright green eyes.

"You know what, Zi? I don't care what Gibbs has to say. I can _do_ what I want and _date_ who I want, and he can't stop me."

Ziva giggled. "Are you sure, Tony?"

"I'm positive. Screw Rule #12," Tony said as he leaned into kiss his Ziva.


	3. Quality Time

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Quality Time**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7 (in earlier chapters)**

**Note: this is a revised version of this chapter**

* * *

Tony was sitting outside of Ziva's apartment in his car, waiting for her to be ready for their date tonight.

_Where is she???_ He thought impatiently. _Okay, so maybe I'm a LITTLE early. Shut up DiNozzo, you're an HOUR early._

Fortunately, Ziva had also been ready for a while. She had been dressed, sitting on her bed, for just over an hour. She decided to call Tony to tell her that they should meet earlier than planned.

"Hey, Sweetcheeks," Tony said as he smiled.

"Tony, I was wondering if we could…meet a little earlier," she said. "I do not know about you, but I have been ready for an hour."

"Ziva, I'm already parked outside of your apartment. I've been here for half an hour already."

Ziva giggled. "I will see you soon then, my Little Furry Bear."

Tony smiled. He used to hate it when Ziva called him that, but now, whenever he heard her voice, he fell head over heels in love again.

He got out of his car and walked to Ziva's apartment. When he opened the door, he was shocked. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a floor length black halter dress with her hair in loose curls flowing down her back. Tony was speechless and he just stared at her.

"Is something wrong, Tony?" Ziva said, checking herself over. _Didn't he do this the last time?_ She thought.

"N-no, Zi…you…you look beautiful…"

Ziva blushed and said, "Shall we be going now?"

"Uh-huh…" Tony said, still gaping.

* * *

Once they arrived at the restaurant, and were seated, Tony and Ziva ordered their food.

"Oysters, Tony? Really?" Ziva said, knowing what oysters would do to him if he had enough.

He smiled his goofy grin. "Please, Zi?"

"We will see, Tony. We will see…" Ziva said, although she wanted to as well.

* * *

Their lips crashed together as he fumbled for the doorknob on her apartment door. Once they were inside, she stopped him. "Tony, my shoes," she said, pointing to her four-inch heels. She slipped out of her shoes while he took off his tie. Then, he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom bridal style, kissing her the whole way.

* * *

The next morning, Ziva woke up first and looked at Tony sleeping peacefully. She knew Gibbs wouldn't be too happy when Tony told him about _them_, but she didn't want to think about that now. She was too happy about Tony being _hers_. _Finally_.

All day Tony had wanted to talk to Gibbs about Ziva, but he couldn't find the courage to go into the lion's den. Gibbs had noticed Tony fidgeting and trying to discreetly stare at him, and it was getting on his nerves.

"DiNozzo. My office. Now," Gibbs ordered, already on his way to the elevator.

Tony hurried to follow him, eyeing Ziva as he passed her.

Once Tony was inside, Gibbs flicked the infamous switch to shut down the elevator.

"There somethin' you wanna tell me, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked sarcastically.

"Yeah…um…Boss…Ziva and I…we're…"

"I know, Tony."

"You do? How?"

"Abby," Gibbs answered. Then he looks away and said, "And…I saw you making out…"

Tony blushed. "You aren't mad? No 'Rule #12: Never date a coworker' speech? No head slaps?"

Gibbs smiled. "Tony, I broke that rule with Jenny…Abby and McGee broke it. That rule is bull."

"So it's okay with you?"

"DiNozzo, as long as you don't get her pregnant before you marry her, and you keep it out of the office and on the job, you have my blessing."

"Marry her?"

"Tony, I've seen the way you look at her. It's the same way I looked at Shannon," Gibbs winced as he says his first wife's name. "It's going to happen eventually."

"Marry her. Huh," Tony said as he smiled and left the elevator.


	4. Pep Talk

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Pep Talk**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

**Note: I have no idea how many glasses of bourbon it takes for you to get drunk, so don't yell at me for that! also, this is the revised version of this chapter**

* * *

Tony had been thinking a lot about what Gibbs had said. _Marry Ziva. Wow. Then she would be my wife. And I'd have her forever. Gibbs is right. I'm going to marry Ziva. Holy crap, I'm going to marry Ziva. Oh, God, I'm scared. All the guys…they say getting married is like losing all your freedom. But I don't want to lose my freedom. Shut up, Tony. You love Ziva. She means more than anything to you. Now go buy the ring, DiNozzo._

As soon as he had made up his mind, he knew he was going to propose to Ziva, but he was terrified. He decided to talk to the two men he was closest to.

* * *

He asked Gibbs and McGee if he could talk to them for a second. Gibbs said, "Not now, DiNozzo. Work on the case. We can talk at my house tonight."

"Right. The case now. Talk later. Got it." Tony said, getting back to his desk.

Ziva was downstairs in Abby's lab, talking to her about Tony.

"I am scared, Abby. I do not know what to do," Ziva whispered.

Abby grabbed her and hugged her reassuringly. "Ziva. He loves you, and you love him. Do what you think is right. I have no idea if or when he will propose, but you can't break his heart. He loves you too much, and I don't want to imagine what he would do if you said no."

"Abby, if he asks me, I will definitely say yes. I am just scared he will not ask me."

"Don't worry, Ziva, he will. He will."

* * *

That night, in Gibbs' basement, Tony sat on an unfinished boat and drank his third glass of bourbon of the night. Gibbs was upstairs waiting for McGee, and Tony felt alone downstairs, so he walked up the stairs, his thoughts driving him insane.

_Tony, you love Ziva and she loves you. This is the right choice. You can do it._

"Boss, I'm here," said McGee as he walked through the front door.

"McGoo!!!" Tony said, somewhat drunk.

"You are sooo lucky Ziva isn't here to see you drunk, Tony," McGee said as he puts the pizza he has brought down on the kitchen table. "Where's Gibbs?"

"Right here McGee. Let's head downstairs," Gibbs said, already walking down the steps. "DiNozzo, no more alcohol for you. Only water."

"Ooookey dokey, Boss!!!" Tony said, hiccupping.

Once Tony has sort of snapped out of it and the men had eaten their pizza, Tony started to talk. "Boss, McGee…I want to…I want to propose to Ziva."

"Good for you, Tony!" McGee said, smiling.

"I love her. I really do. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her, Boss."

"So what's the problem, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, confused.

"I'm terrified! People say I'll lose all my freedom when I get married. I'll never be able do anything I want again! I-"

"Tony. You will lose some things, but you'll gain so much more. You love Ziva; I know that for a fact. Losing something isn't going to matter if you have her," Gibbs said, comforting him. "Go. Buy the ring."

"Whoa," McGee muttered. "Boss, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at once. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Thanks…McGee. Now, Tony…Tony?"

But Tony was already gone, hurrying home to plan his proposal.


	5. Interrupted

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Interrupted**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**A/N: Thanks to a helpful tip from Semper Fi NCIS, I'll be writing in the past tense from now on. Didn't want to confuse anybody! Thanks Semper Fi!!!**

~~~Some people have complained about the story kind of rushing…its because Tony and Ziva have already known each other for so long, and they just want to be together all the time. It's not rushing. It's love.~~~

* * *

Tony woke up early the next morning and made himself a big breakfast - eggs, pancakes, and sausage. He was so hungry because he was so excited. He couldn't wait to propose to Ziva. He just prayed that she'd say yes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ziva was at her own apartment, sad because Tony did not call her the night before. She decided, in order to cheer herself up, to go shopping. She had never really liked to shop that much, but she had wanted some new earrings. She decided to go to the jewelry store a few blocks from her apartment.

* * *

Tony drove to the jewelry store, anxious to look at the selection of rings. He parked his car and entered into the store, the little bell ringing when he opened the door. He walked up to the clerk and said, "I'm going to propose to my girlfriend tonight. Any suggestions on rings?" The clerk took him back to a separate room and showed him a variety of beautiful rings. "I think she'll like this one. At least, I do," Tony said, smiling his famous DiNozzo smile and pointing to a stunning ring with three diamonds on the front, the middle diamond slightly bigger than the other two.

* * *

Ziva jogged up the sidewalk and turned in towards the jewelers. She pushed open the door, and once again, the little bell rang.

* * *

Tony left the little room and headed towards the register with the clerk. He looked at the door and saw…could it be? It's Ziva. _Crap. Now what do I do?_ Tony thought. The clerk continued to walk to the register, but Tony hid behind a rack of jewelry.

* * *

Ziva, completely oblivious, walked over towards the racks of earrings, away from where Tony was.

* * *

Tony made a beeline for the register, whipped out his debit card, and hurried to pay for the ring. He tried to hide his face from Ziva, but…

Ziva spotted him. _Tony? What is he doing here?_ She thought. "Tony?" she asked. "Is that you?"

_Crap. Come on DiNozzo, she's a freakin' ninja! Did you REALLY think she wouldn't see you? _Tony thought, not sure what to do.

Ziva walked cautiously over to him. Not really thinking, Tony reached into the black plastic bag with the ring in it and took out the little black box, holding it behind his back. "Ziva… I…ummm…" he mumbled.

"Oh, spat it out, Tony," she said impatiently. He smiled, ignoring her little mistake.

He took a deep breath, bent down on one knee, took the little box from behind his back, opened it, and said, "Ziva David, I love you with all my heart and I always will. I will always be there for you. I love you, Ziva. Will you marry me?"

With tears in her eyes, Ziva said, "Oh Tony, of course I will!" She pulled herself closer to him and hugged him. "I love--".

She was cut of by breaking glass. No little bell rang now when two armed people entered the store.

_Bang! Bang!_

Ziva looked up from Tony's neck, just in time to move eight inches to her left. The bullet hit her in her arm, perfectly level with her chest. She grabbed for her gun, and fired off two bullets before collapsing in pain.

Tony had also drawn his weapon. He shot twice, hitting one of the two men in the foot and in the knee. More gunshots rang out. Tony collapses after getting hit in the abdomen, just below his stomach. He faded into darkness, calling for Ziva…

Ziva was still conscious, and she saw the armed men kill the clerk and take off with a sack of money. Once they had bolted from the store, Ziva crawled over to Tony, tears coming to her eyes. She pushed down with all her strength on Tony's wound, trying to keep him from bleeding to death. _This is exactly what happened to Michael, Ziva, but he is dead. You cannot let Tony die,_ she thought, just praying for the ambulance to come.

* * *

**A/N: I know, kinda a lame little ending there, but still some action!**

**PLEASE review my story!!!! Just click the button! I'm not gonna post the next chapter until I get at least 4 reviews!!!**

**-Tivamcabby5**


	6. Breakdown

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Breakdown**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

* * *

As Ziva continued to keep pressure on Tony's wound, she dialed 911. Hoping, _praying_ for Tony to be okay, she wiped away her tears and looked out the window to find a paramedic squad car and an ambulance, followed by two police cars.

"Over here! Help him! Help…Tony!" she yelled, choking back tears. She looked up to find a paramedic gently helping her away. He sat her down outside on the back of the ambulance. The paramedic told her that everything would be okay, and that she needed to relax.

"Please, no painkillers," Ziva says, staring at Tony's lifeless form on the floor of the jewelry store. She knew that the only pain she felt was the pain of watching Tony lying there, receiving CPR from another paramedic.

She climbed into the ambulance, still in a daze, and sat down, trying not to cry again. She noticed Tony being wheeled over on a stretcher and she made room inside the cramped ambulance. Within another 30 seconds, Tony was being loaded into the ambulance, still unconscious and on oxygen, followed by two paramedics. She turned away from the stretcher, not being able to bear seeing Tony like that.

She knew Gibbs and McGee were following behind the ambulance, and that Abby and Ducky would meet them at the hospital. Her thoughts were interrupted though, when the ambulance doors opened and Tony's stretcher was pulled out, straight to the ICU.

A paramedic helped her out of the ambulance and told her to lie down on the other stretcher they had brought. Ziva complied, still in a trance.

Tony went immediately into surgery as Ziva was brought to a separate room. The bullet had only barely nicked her arm, just taking a small chunk of muscle out. There was no bullet to be removed, so she did not need to have surgery; just stitches.

She sat there as the doctor babbled on, thinking about Tony and hoping he could fight to stay alive. She nodded every once in a while to let the doctor believe she was listening. She had finally given into painkillers after had figured out that they may help clear her mind as well.

As soon as she was all stitched up and bandaged, she left the room and headed to the waiting room to meet Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, and Director Vance. She walked silently down the hallway, trying not to cry yet again.

When she finally reached the waiting room, she walked straight to Gibbs, tears streaming down her face. She did not notice Abby's red eyes, or Ducky's worried face. All she wanted to do was be with the man that had become her father figure.

Gibbs took her into an awkward one-armed hug and whispered, "It will be okay, Zi. It'll be okay."

They walked around a corner to a bench and Gibbs sat down next to Ziva. Her mascara was running in little streams of black and Gibbs pulled out a tissue and wiped her face.

"Ziva, it's okay. Tony can pull through this. He's strong," Gibbs said reassuringly.

"Gibbs, he just proposed to me. What if he does not live? I love him Gibbs. More than anything in the whole world. Now I may never marry him," Ziva whispers, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"And he loves you, Ziva. That will keep him going. He's going to be okay, Zi. He's going to be fine."

She leaned into hug Gibbs, leaning her head on Gibb's shoulder. He let her cry, let her stain his red polo shirt. He rubbed her back and just let her get it out. He knew he loved her, and that she loved him as well. He just prayed that his agent could pull through.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I was away all weekend for Thanksgiving with my family. (Yes, I actually have a life!)**

**Thanks to all my readers! (I don't know much about hospitals or anything, so I tried not to go into to much detail!)**

**Leave me tips and reviews!**

**Five reviews until I update again!**


	7. Problem Solving

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Problem Solving**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

**Over 3,000 hits for this story so far!!! Thank you loverly readers!!!**

* * *

_Ding!_

McGee walked out of the opening elevator door, Caf-Pow in hand. He paused, noticing something is different. Not being able to recognize what was wrong; he shrugged and walked into Abby's lab.

Abby was sitting on her stool, head in hands, staring at a computer screen. On the screen was a fingerprint being run against thousands of others in the APHIS Database.

"I don't have anything for you, Tim," Abby mumbled.

"Ohhh-kayyy…but_ I_ have something for _you_," he said, handing her the Caf-Pow.

She took it and slammed it down on the counter next to her. "I'm not in the mood for caffeine," she grumbled. "I want security tapes."

"And I have them," McGee said, holding up a large orange-yellow envelope. He handed her the envelope and she ripped it open.

She popped a tape in and hit 'play'. Suddenly, she spun around and jumped off her stool. She ran over to where she kept her stuffed hippo Bert and grabbed him. She then scooted back over to McGee, grabbing her Caf-Pow. She started to walk around and around the little island her desk made in the lab, squeezing Bert every few paces.

McGee sat in Abby's chair and began to fast-forward the tape. Once he had found the correct time frame, he hit play again. As he watched a rock fly through the window of the glass door, he said to Abby, "These guys are idiots! They're not wearing any masks! What kind of robber doesn't wear a mask????"

Abby, still squeezing Bert and pacing, said, "Helpful ones. They help us catch them."

"Abby. Look at this. We can just run facial recognition and these guys are busted!"

"Well then do it, McGee," Gibbs said, walking in with another Caf-Pow for Abby. He saw the one she was holding and set the other one down on a table.

"Right, Boss. Starting now."

Thirty seconds later, they got a hit on one of the men.

"Pedro del Cano," Abby said as she scribbled down his address. She handed it to her boss and Gibbs and McGee hurried to the car.

* * *

"You got the back, McGee. On my count. One, two, three, go!" Gibbs whispered into his wrist. He barged in through the front door, searching for the criminal, while McGee did the same through the back door. They met up in the kitchen, finding the man they were looking for. Dead on the kitchen floor.

"Great. Think the other guy killed him, Boss?" McGee asked, putting away his weapon.

"Or this is the guy Tony shot. Without going to a hospital, even getting shot in the knee can kill you quickly."

Just then, Gibbs' phone rang. "What is it, Abs?" he asked.

"Gibbs, I got a hit on the other guy. His name is Ryan Gentile. He's at Miller's Bar in Georgetown right now. Five minutes away," Abby told him.

"Let's go, McGee. Miller's Bar in Georgetown," he told his only healthy agent.

* * *

As soon as they had arrived at the bar, they found Gentile. As soon as he saw Gibbs and McGee coming towards him, he ran. Rounding a corner, McGee started to chase after him. Gibbs took the long way around the bar.

Gentile, apparently not very fit, was out of breath after running about twenty feet. He stopped, coming face to face with Gibbs. Gibbs took out his handcuffs, waved them in the air, and said, "You're coming with us, Gentile."

"What? Why?" Gentile said, taken aback. "What have I done? I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, except for murdering a store clerk, robbing a jewelry store, and shooting two federal agents," McGee said, walking back to the car.

* * *

"Why did you do it?" Gibbs said, slamming a case file down on the black table in the interrogation room. "Why did you shoot two of my agents? Why did you rob that store? WHY????"

Gentile stuttered and said, "Okay! Okay! I robbed the store! I took some money! I shot that chick!"

"That _chick_ is a federal agent!"

"Fine. I shot that _federal agent_. But I didn't kill the clerk or shoot the other guy. Just look at the tapes."

Gibbs took out his cell phone and called Abby. After confirming Gentile was telling the truth, he slammed the phone shut and turned towards the criminal.

"You are under the arrest for armed robbery and shooting a federal officer. You have the right to remain silent…" Gibbs said, taking out his handcuffs again and chaining Gentile's hands together. "Case closed."

**A/N: Okay, not the best chapter but I kinda wanted to get back to Tony and Ziva.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Together Again

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Together Again**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

* * *

After a long nap, Tony finally woke up again. He saw Ziva sitting on the edge of his hospital bed. It had been two months since the accident and she no longer needed her sling. "Hey, Zi," he whispered. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing really. Abby finally solved that double-homicide case," Ziva answerd. "But otherwise, everyone is missing you at work. _Especially_ me."

Tony had had four surgeries now over the past two months to help him heal. The bullet caused damage to his stomach and small and large intestines. He was going to be released from the hospital tomorrow into Ziva's care.

"Ziva…I'm feeling MUCH better now…do you think…when we get home…" Tony mumbled as he drifted off to sleep again.

Ziva smiled. She walked out of the hospital room, which didn't really look that much like a hospital room anymore. Tony had fully recovered from his latest surgery four days ago, but the doctors had decided to keep him for observation and some more tests.

She walked over to where Gibbs was sitting on a bench- the same bench where he had comforted her so many times before. "Hello, Gibbs," she said, forcing a tired smile.

"What's up with Tony?" he asked. "Any news?"

"He is being released tomorrow. He can't go back to work though for another month. No physical activity for three weeks."

"That's good. We all miss him. I know you must especially, Ziva."

"I do, Gibbs. Life has been so… _different_ without Tony."

"It has. And…Ziva…" Gibbs said, blushing. "I'm pretty 'no physical activity' means…you know…"

"Yes, I know. I guess we will just have to tough it out those three weeks," Ziva said, smiling.

* * *

When Tony and Ziva finally arrived at her tiny apartment, Ziva made him sit down on the couch and not move. "I shall be right back, Tony," she said, walking into her bedroom.

She returned with a catalog of homes for sale in the DC area. "Tony, we are getting married in five months, and I think that we should have a place to call home," she said, putting the catalog in his lap.

"Ziva…can we really afford a house now? I mean, with all the hospital bills…"

"Relax, Tony. Although my father is dead to _me_, _I_ am not dead to _him_. He knows he will not be invited to the wedding, but he still is giving us a gift," Ziva explained. "His gift is a house, Tony. We pick it out, and he pays for it. He can easily afford it- the Director of Mossad makes _a lot_ of money. We just need to find one we like."

"Wow. Well, this one looks nice," he said, pointing to a four bedroom, three and a half bath house in Columbia Heights. "$420,000? Is that too much?"

"My father said anything is fine."

"Well, Sweetcheeks, lets go buy ourselves a home!"

* * *

The next day, Tony and Ziva went to check out the Columbia Heights home, and they loved it! They learned they could move in as soon as the owners were ready to move out, which would be when Tony and Ziva are on their honeymoon. So, Tony and Ziva decided they would just move in as soon as they came back.

The house had an open layout with a warm color palette. It was the perfect house for a couple that someday wanted to start a family…

* * *

Two weeks later, not quite three weeks after Tony had gotten out of the hospital-- Tony and Ziva were sitting in their apartment eating a delicious dinner of chicken penne pasta. Afterwards, Tony, having fully regained his strength, decided to have some fun.

"Tony!" Ziva playfully shrieked after getting splashed with soapy dish water by her fiancé. "What was that for?"

"Just making sure you're _squeaky_ clean," he said, leaning in to kiss her seductively on the neck.

Ziva knew where this was going. "Tony, 'No physical activity' means no sex. End of story," she said, glaring at him.

"Oh, but Ziiiivaaaa!" he whined. "I'm perfectly healthy! And besides, you know you can't resist me!" He smiled his 10,000 watt smile.

Ziva ignored him, going back to the dishes. Tony leaned in and grabbed her around the waist. He spun her around, spraying soap suds everywhere. He pulled her into a passionate kiss. Ziva tried to resist. She opened her eyes and pulled away. Realizing how much she liked, and missed, passionately kissing Tony, she leaned back in, giving up.

He scooped her up, just like the first time, and carried her into their bedroom. They flopped down onto the bed and Tony worked at the zipper on Ziva's jeans. She moaned as he moved inside her. He leaned down to kiss her again.

"We should not be doing this, Tony," she whispered. She knew it is not allowed, but she didn't care.

"Too. Bad," he said, pulling back and flopping over next to her. "Ziva?"

But Ziva had fallen asleep, exhausted from their "physical activity".

Tony smiled, happy to have finally seduced his all-too-willing fiancé again.

* * *

**A/N: Hope this wasn't too inappropriate or anything. I'm only in 8****th**** grade…I didn't really want to get into too much detail, if you know what I mean.**

**Anyways…I want REVIEWS! Just click on the button! Its right there! Click it!!!**

**Sorry. I want 10 reviews AT LEAST until I put up the next chapter.**


	9. Excited

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Excited**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

* * *

Abby and Ziva were sitting at Ziva and Tony's tiny kitchen table, discussing wedding plans. They had countless post-it notes and papers scattered around, each one depicting a different part of the wedding. Abby was looking over flower arrangement ideas while Ziva was deciding who would actually be in the wedding.

"Okay, Abby," Ziva said to her friend. "So far, we have you as the bridesmaid, of course, and McGee as the best man. I would like Jimmy to also be in the wedding, as well as Sarah McGee."

"Hmm…Jimmy as a groomsman, and Sarah as a bridesmaid," Abby answered. "Ducky should be an usher, along with Director Vance and Agent Fornell…how many bridesmaids and groomsmen do you want?"

"Just one of each. This wedding isn't really going to be that big. I would like for Emily Fornell to be the flower girl, also. And the director's son Jared would be a good ring bearer. And Abby, I want Gibbs to be the one who walks me down the aisle. My father is dead to me, and Gibbs is the closest thing I have to a father. " she paused, taking a breath. "Abby, do you think the director's daughter, Kayla should be the junior bridesmaid? I'd hate to leave her out of the wedding."

"I'm sure she'd love to be in your wedding.. Sounds good!" Abby said, extremely excited. "So…" She slid a piece of paper across the table to Ziva.

_Abby = maid of honor_

_McGee = best man_

_Ducky = usher_

_Director Vance = usher_

_Agent Fornell = usher_

_Jimmy Palmer = groomsman_

_Sarah McGee = bridesmaid _

_Emily Fornell = flower girl_

_Jared Vance = ring bearer_

_Gibbs = father of the bride_

"It sounds good to me, Abby," Ziva said. "We should be going. We still have to pick up Sarah on the way to the store."

* * *

As Abby and Ziva pulled into the visitor's parking lot at Sarah's college, they quickly spotted her, sitting at a picnic table, studying.

"Sarah!" Abby yelled, waving. Over time, as Abby had become even closer to McGee, Sarah and Abby had become as close as sisters.

Sarah looked up from her book. "Abby? Abby! Ziva!" She stood up and jogged over to greet them. "It's so good to see you!"

"It is good to see you too, Sarah," Ziva said, giving her a hug. Ziva and Sarah had also become very close since they had first met. "Sarah, I am sure you have heard that Tony and I are getting married…"

"Uh-huh. Abby told me. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Ziva said, smiling. "Sarah, Tony and I were wondering…would you like to be the bridesmaid in our wedding?"

"Oh, Ziva, I would love to be in your wedding! Thank you so much!"

Ziva smiled, giving Sarah another hug. "Are you free? Abby and I were just on our way to buy dresses…would you like to come?"

"I would love to! I'm done with my classes for the day, and I can always study later."

"Well than let's go, people!" Abby said impatiently.

Ziva and Sarah laughed and started towards Ziva's car behind Abby.

* * *

"Zzzziiiiva Ziva Ziva Ziva!!!!!" Abby yelled, running up to her with four dresses in hand.

"What, Abby?!?" Ziva asked from inside the changing room.

"Which one?" she said, holding up the dresses.

"One moment, Abby," Ziva responded, coming out of the dressing room in a beautiful white strapless dress. The dress had small designs near the bottom that make it look adorable, and against Ziva's beautiful olive skin tone, the dress looked amazing.

"Wowww…" Abby and Sarah said together, gaping.

"Ziva…that dress is beautiful…" Sarah said, still staring.

Ziva blushed, not liking the attention. "Thank you, Sarah. Yours is pretty too," she said, gesturing towards Sarah's strapless bright magenta dress. It went just past her knees, and fit her figure perfectly.

"Now, Abby…the dresses you picked out?" Ziva said, afraid of what the goth had chosen. Abby held up two of the dresses. "Okay…umm…sorry Abby, but no skulls."

That got rid of two dresses. "And that one is a little…over the top…" Ziva said, pointing to a black and white polka-dot and stripe dress. "That one, on the other hand, is perfect." The last dress was one that looked basically the same as Sarah's, but it was black, just as Abby had wanted.

"Good idea," Abby agreed. "Simple, but stunning."

"So it is decided then. Let us buy the dresses," Ziva said, returning to the changing room so she could change back to her street clothes.

"Sounds good to me," Sarah said, going into the stall next to Ziva.

"I'll call Tony and McGee," Abby said. "They can meet us for lunch."

* * *

Tony was anxious to see Ziva again. He hated not being able to be near her. So when Abby called him and McGee and asked if they wanted to go get lunch, he was overjoyed.

As he and Tim drove to the little Italian restaurant they would be meeting at, McGee started a conversation.

"What is it like, Tony?" Tim asked.

"What is what like, McGeek?"

"What is it like to know that you're going to be married? To know that you'll never date again, never want the number of every girl you meet?"

"Tim, when you meet someone you really, truly love, you won't ever want to be with anyone but that person. My person is Ziva. You just have to find _your_ Ziva." Tony said, looking at his friend. "And I bet ten bucks you already know who that person is, you're just too scared to do anything."

"Huh. You're right, Tony. I think I do know who that person is. Thanks."

"No problemo, bud," Tony said, pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant.

* * *

As soon as Tony saw Ziva, he practically ran to see her. She, Abby, and Sarah were already seated, with Ziva facing away from Tony. Amazingly, Tony managed to surprise her and when he did, she spun around and kissed him. Tony was surprised by the kiss, as was everyone else.

"Ahem…" Abby coughed, trying not to embarrass the couple.

Tony and Ziva pulled away, and Tony grabbed a seat next to his fiancé. McGee sat down in between his sister and Abby.

"How was dress shopping, Sweet Cheeks?" Tony asked, flipping through the menu.

"It was fine, Tony," Ziva said. Taking a sip of her water. "We all found what we were looking for."

"Ohhh…tell me!" Tony said. He knew he wasn't supposed to see the dress until the wedding, but seeing Ziva in anything made him excited.

"Tony!" Abby said. "You cannot see any of the dresses until the big day."

"Fine," he grumbled. McGee, Ziva, and Sarah laughed.

The group ordered their food and ate as soon as it had arrived. Once they had finished, they left the restaurant. Ziva took Abby and Sarah to their homes, while Tony dropped off McGee.

As soon as both Tony and Ziva were done and had gotten home, they flopped on the couch, completely exhausted from the day's events.

* * *

**A/N: I know, kind of a lame ending, but oh well. Sorry I took so long to update---we got a lot of snow here in upstate NY and I had to help shovel the stupid driveway.**

**To my Jewish readers---Happy Hanukkah!!!**

**Please review!!! I'll update as soon as possible!**


	10. I Do

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: I Do**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Some spoilers for Season 7**

**I know I haven't posted in a while, but I was kinda busy with school and the holidays coming up. Anyways, to make up for the long wait, here's a long chapter…AKA the wedding!!!! **

* * *

Tony, Gibbs, McGee, and the other men in the wedding were in one room in the beautiful church, while Ziva, Abby, and Sarah were in another room with Director Vance's wife Jackie. Ziva was all ready, as were the other ladies.

"Ziva, sweetie, you look beautiful," Jackie said, spinning the bride to be around.

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Vance," Ziva said as she sat down to put on one of her stiletto heels.

"Oh, honey, call me Jackie," she replied, fiddling with Ziva's hair.

"Oh, thank you, Jackie!" Ziva said as she laughed. She was extremely excited. _Ziva, you need to CALM DOWN now. You cannot go out there and freak off. Or is it freak out?..._

In the room next door, Tony was extremely nervous. He was bouncing up and down, trying to shake the nervousness out. He felt a sharp pain to the back of his head. "Ow! Boss! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"_You_ need to _calm down_, DiNozzo," Gibbs said sternly. "I am not going to let you ruin this wedding because you are _freaking out_."

"I'm sorry, Boss. I…just don't know why I'm so nervous."

"It's 'cause you love her, Tony," McGee said, fixing his bowtie.

"I can do this, I can do this," Tony said to himself, walking out of the side door that lead to the altar of the church.

Gibbs, McGee and Jimmy Palmer went next door to where the ladies were getting ready.

* * *

The music started to play, and the church doors opened. Little, adorable Emily Fornell walked down the aisle, sprinkling petals as she walked. She was followed by Jared Vance, who was carrying a small pillow with two rings on it. Behind Jared was his sister Kayla, then Abby and McGee, who were followed by Sarah McGee and Jimmy Palmer.

Then, the music got slightly louder. Sarah and Jimmy walked a little further, and Tony finally saw his boss and Ziva. He was absolutely stunned.

He was speechless as he saw the smiling Ziva and Gibbs walk down the aisle towards him.

Gibbs and Ziva finally reached Tony and Gibbs handed Ziva to Tony.

"Tony, close your mouth. You are going to start drooling," Ziva whispered, staring at her handsome husband-to-be.

Tony complied and smiled, and the priest began the ceremony.

After the traditional readings and songs, Tony and Ziva each said, "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said. "You may kiss the bride!"

Tony lifted Ziva's veil and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips crashed together and after some coughs from the audience, they pulled away, smiling. They turned to face the congregation and walked back down the aisle.

"Don't go too fast, Zi," Tony whispered. "We only get to do this once."

"Not true, Tony. We still have the ceremony at the synagogue."

"Well, we only get to do this _today_, then," he said, looking at her lovingly.

After a quick ceremony at the synagogue, Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, and Gibbs made their way to the reception in a stretch limo.

* * *

They walked into the reception and immediately began to mingle with their guests, Tony never leaving Ziva's side.

After about an hour of talking and laughing and dancing and drinking, Tony went to the little stage in the big reception area.

He tapped the microphone and says, "Is this thing on? Hello?"

The microphone was not working, so Tony called to McGee. "It might help if you turn it _on_, Tony," Tim said, returning to his seat next to Abby.

The crowd laughed as Ziva shook her heads and smiled.

"Ha ha. Wow. Okay, so now that that little technical difficulty is solved, I'd like to hold a toast," Tony gulped. He looked at his beaming bride and said, "To my boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Thanks for letting us break Rule #12. And to Tim McGee – I know I tease you all the time, Probie, but you've always been there for me. Thanks for being a friend. Also, to Abby Scuito and to the fantabulous Dr. Ducky Mallard, you guys are just amazing in general. You too Jimmy," Tony paused, thinking. "Oh, and to Director Vance! Because if I didn't thank him, I'd probably lose my job!"

The crowd cheered and laughed. "And last, but most certainly, definitely _not_ least, my beautiful wife, Ziva," Tony said, smiling at his bride. "Zi, I love you more than anything in the world, and I always will. I know I said pretty much the same thing when I proposed, but we were kinda _interrupted_ then." Tony smiled as the audience giggled. He walked over to Ziva, who was crying tears of joy.

"I love you too, Tony!" she said, pulling him into a strong kiss. The newlyweds kind of got lost in their kiss though, and before long, Gibbs coughed loudly.

They pulled away and turned to face their audience, which erupted in cheers.

* * *

"Ziva, it's time for our dance," Gibbs said. He grabbed her hand and led her towards the dance floor. Tony shot his boss a pained expression for having his bride being taken away. Gibbs said to him, "Tony, I'm not stealing her. She's just gonna dance for three minutes."

"Okay, boss. Promise?"

"I Promise, DiNozzo."

Gibbs pulled Ziva onto the dance floor and the two started to dance to "When Angels Fly" by Tony Ransom.

"So, Zivers? What do you think?" Gibbs asked her.

"I'm so…happy, Gibbs!" she wiped a tear away from her cheek. "This is all I've ever wanted."

"I'm happy for you, Ziva," Gibbs said. "And DiNozzo, too."

* * *

After another half an hour of dancing and talking, it was time to throw the bouquet and garter. Ziva stood on the little stage, her back to the girls waiting to catch the flowers.

"Be gentle, Ziva," Tony whispered, not wanting to have to call an ambulance when someone gets a concussion. He could imagine it now. '_Sir, please state your emergency.' 'Umm…someone just got hit with a bouquet of flowers thrown at lightning speed…' 'Sir, are you being serious?' 'Yeah, my wife's a ninja and totally just creamed 'em…'_

Ziva took a look back and focused on who she wanted to throw the bouquet to. She turned back around and tossed the flowers over her head, right to their designated target - Abby's open arms.

Everyone else erupted in cheers and laughter at Abby's surprised face. Ziva gave her a hug and went back to her chair. Tony sauntered up to his wife and got down on one knee. He stuck his head under her dress.

"Tony!" she said, surprised as he pulled of her garter with his teeth.

"What? Did you expect me to use my hands?" he asked, standing back up. The crowd giggled as Tony walked up to the stage.

_McGee,_ he thought. _Make McGee catch it._ Tony tossed the garter backwards and, sure enough, McGee caught it.

Tim smiled and walked over to where Abby was sitting. He knelt down and was about to pull the garter over Abby's high heel when Tony stopped him. "Wait, McGoo. There's been a change of plans…" he said, winking at Ziva. "_Abby_ has to put the garter on _you_!"

McGee turned bright red, but complied. Abby pulled the garter up his leg and let it snap against his thigh. Then, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Congratulations, Timmy. You got me," she whispered into his ear.

McGee, already somewhat drunk, pulled Abby away from the crowd and pushed her into a closet, kissing her the whole way.

* * *

**A/N: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!**

**Thank you so much to my awesomely amazing readers!!! **

**I have ideas for the next few chapters (honeymoon, starting a family???)…but I need an answer to this question…**

**Should I end after those chapters and continue the story w/ a different title…or just continue it on the same story…I was thinking the second option but I wanted to be sure…**

**Anyways…hope to update soon! Our holiday break is coming up so I'll have a lot of free time.**

**Thanks again!**


	11. Paradise

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Paradise**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Since it has taken me so long to update, here's a long one.**

* * *

Hours had passed, and the amount of people at the reception was slowly declining as people decided to call it a night and go home. All that were left was Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, and Abby and McGee, who were nowhere to be found. There were some workers of the fancy hotel that were cleaning up, but otherwise, not much was happening.

Gibbs walked across the dance floor, which was now empty except for himself, and Tony and Ziva, who had been slowly dancing for over an hour. Gibbs placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. Tony was immediately surprised and broken out of his trance.

"Huh?" Tony said, not wanting to stop dancing with his wife. "Boss? Hey! What's up?"

"Well, DiNozzo, if you haven't noticed, almost everyone has left," Gibbs said, motioning around the reception area.

"Oh, no…I didn't notice…"

"I can tell."

Ziva, who had been looking on quietly at the two men, finally spoke up. "Gibbs, what time is it?"

"Just past one o'clock. You two have been dancing alone, with no music, for a while."

"Hmm…I didn't even notice," Ziva said, staring lovingly into Tony's eyes. Tony stared back, and ignored his boss. He leaned in to Ziva again and kissed her slowly.

"Tony! Ziva! Hey, you lovebirds!" Gibbs said impatiently, breaking the two apart. "Your plane for Aruba leaves at 0800. That's less than seven hours. You need to go home and pack!"

"Fine," a defeated Tony said. "Hey, where are Probie and Abs?"

"I'd check the closet…" Ziva smiled. She had seen Tim and Abby stumble into a wall, making out.

Gibbs walked over to the coat closet that no one had actually put anything in. He opened the door to find Abby pinned up against the side of the closet, passionately kissing McGee. Gibbs coughed loudly. They didn't notice. Tony and Ziva walked over and looked in.

"Probie!" Tony yelled. McGee pulled back and saw his team staring at him. "This is _my_ wedding reception, man! Why are you the one making out?"

"Um…I…umm…I can explain, Boss," McGee stuttered. "We, umm….this isn't Abby's fault…"

Gibbs just smiled. He looked at Abby's surprised and embarrassed face and said, "Glad to see you two finally woke up and saw what was right in front of you. Now let's go."

Abby and McGee scrambled out of the closet and ran to get their coats. The group left the hotel and went to their respective homes.

* * *

"Ziiivaaaaa," Tony loudly whispered. "Wake up, Sweetcheeks! You're snoring! And the flight attendant is probably on her way back here to ask you to be quiet!"

"Huh?" Ziva said groggily. "Tony? Oh, hello, my Little Hairy Butt…" She yawned. "Are we almost there?"

"Another half hour, honey," Tony said as Ziva yawned again and stretched.

_Yawn._ "Okay…" she replied sleepily.

* * *

"Ahhh….I LOVE Aruba!!!" Tony said as soon as the taxi had dropped them off at their expensive hotel and they gone up to their hotel room. He opened up the French doors that looked out onto the water. "It's beautiful, Zi…just like you."

Ziva smiled and quickly kissed her husband. "Tony," she said after she had pulled away. "What do you say to a walk on the beach?"

"I say that's a great idea, Sweetcheeks. You go get changed, and I'll wait right here for you."

Ziva returned wearing her famous black bikini with a white tube top dress as a cover-up. Tony stared and smiled as he led her out of the French doors onto the cool sand.

The two walked hand-in-hand along the beach until it started to get dark. They walked back into their hotel room and as soon as they had closed the curtains, Ziva turned to her husband. "Kiss me, Tony," she said, pleading for him to take her in his strong arms. And he did.

They flopped onto the bed and stripped each other of their clothes. "Tony," Ziva said. "I have waited…so long…for this."

"Me too, Ziva," he said as he leaned into her slim body. The two became one, and they made love throughout the night.

When they had woken up, the two were still exhausted. "Good morning, Tony," Ziva said, rolling over towards him.

"Morning?" Tony asked quizzically. "Zi, it's almost 1300."

"Oh. So _that_ is why I am so hungry."

Tony laughed. "How about a picnic on the beach? We could also go scuba diving and see all the pretty fish…although I'm over 100 percent positive none of them are as pretty as you, my love."

"That's sounds great, Tony. I will go get ready."

**A/N: Okay, because I don't want this chapter to be too long and boring, I'm not going to write about the rest of the honeymoon. All they do is normal honeymoon-in-Aruba stuff, whatever that may be. And if I get a whole bunch of reviews yelling at me, that will **_**crush**_** my self esteem (okay, no it won't, but whatever, I don't like bad reviews!) **

* * *

The two agents, now totally tanned and exhausted from their exciting honeymoon, drove home from the airport, talking the whole way.

"Well, my Little Hairy Butt, now that we are home, we can get ready to move into our new house!"

"Whoa…I totally forgot about that," Tony said as he turned into the parking lot of their apartment building. "We were kinda…otherwise occupied…"

Ziva smiled. She and Tony dragged their suitcases into the apartment building. Tony fumbled with the key, opened the door, flicked on the light, and dropped his suitcase in astonishment.

Everything was gone. Absolutely gone. The only things left were the old ceiling fan and the refrigerator.

"Oh. My. God," Ziva said, horrified. All of their furniture was gone. They had been robbed. "Tony, we've been…we've been…"

"I know…" he replied, stunned.

"We've got to call the police, Tony," Ziva said, pulling out her cell phone. She dialed the first number.

"Wait! No! Don't call the police!" a voice shouted from behind the kitchen counter.

"Abby?" Tony asked, extremely confused.

"Surprise!" Abby yelled as she, McGee, Ducky, and Jimmy Palmer leaped out from behind different spots in the empty apartment.

"What? What are you doing here?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs walked out from what had been their bedroom. "Tony, Ziva, while you were away, we all moved everything into your new home," he said.

Ziva ran to Gibbs and hugged him. "Oh, Gibbs! Thank you so much! How can we ever thank you?"

"You could invite me over for coffee sometime, I guess."

Ziva ran back to Tony and hugged him. "Let's go home, Zi," he said to her, smiling at his friends.

* * *

Tony and Ziva awoke for the first time in their new home. After having pulled yet another all-nighter, they had slept late. Even though it was Sunday, Ziva still scrambled to get up and get on with her day. Tony woke up half an hour later and joined his wife in the large kitchen.

"So, Sweetcheeks, how does it feel to be home?" Tony asked her, putting his arm around her waist.

"It feels amazing, Tony," she replied. "we still need to unpack everything else though." She pointed to ten or so boxes stacked against the wall.

Tony sighed. "Guess we better get to work then, huh, Zi."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to all my loverly readers! And I am SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! Thanks for sticking with me!**

**OMG guess what I got for Christmas???? Wait for it….BERT THE FARTING HIPPO!!!!! My dad bought a regular stuffed animal hippo and he and my mom preformed "surgery" on it and implanted a whoopee cushion and a PVC pipe…don't ask how they did it, because I have NO IDEA.**

**Anyways…I'll try to update ASAP, because we are on winter break now, until January 4****th****. Please review!**


	12. Surprise

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Surprise**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

"So how're you feeling, my ninja?" Tony asked his wife over the phone. Ziva had been home sick with the stomach bug for three days, and Tony was constantly calling home to make sure she was okay.

"Tony, relax," she reassured him. "I am fine." But she wasn't fine. She felt like crap. She was lying on their couch in their roomy living room with a white plastic garbage can in her hands to barf in whenever she needed to. Ziva was trying to watch whatever was on HGTV, but all she really wanted to do was get up and quit being sick.

"Okay, Sweetcheeks," Tony said, not fully believing her. "I'll see you later, k? Gibbs is coming and…"

Ziva smiled. In the background, she heard, "Hey boss! Yeah, I was just calling Ziva, 'cause, you know, she's sick and all…you already knew that…"

"I love you, honey! Feel better!" he said quickly before Gibbs slammed shut his cell phone.

Ziva smiled again. She felt okay to get up, so she went to the bathroom and took a long, hot, shower. By 10 o'clock, she was ready to get on with her day.

Ziva got into her mini cooper and drove to the drug store. She wanted to get some medicine for the headaches she was also getting, and she needed some shampoo.

As she walked into the CVS, she grabbed a red basket. She scanned the aisles and picked up everything she wanted, including some new, stronger deodorant for Tony, who had started to work out again.

She parked her car in the garage and walked back inside. She suddenly felt light-headed, so she sat down in the kitchen chair. After a minute or so, she stood up and went to put away the things she had bought. She grabbed something from the bag and went into the master bathroom and shut the door. She looked in her hand at the three tiny pregnancy tests. _Just incase_, she thought.

She took a test, but then placed face down so she could not yet see the results. She took the other two and did the same thing. She closed her eyes and turned over each test. Each one showed a little pink "+".

Ziva's mouth dropped open. She was shocked. Sure, she had always wanted to have children, especially with Tony, but now that there was something _growing_ inside of her, she was kinda freaked out.

Ziva slowly stood up, still gaping. She absentmindedly washed her hands and grabbed the tests. She walked back into her bedroom. She suddenly had a brilliant idea. She put a washcloth on top of Tony's dresser and then neatly put the pregnancy tests on top of it. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote, "Surprise!" on it. She placed the paper next to the washcloth. She smiled to herself and went back downstairs. Now that her _morning sickness_ was over for the day, she wanted to eat a big lunch.

Ziva made herself lunch and spent the rest of the day cleaning the house. Every time was in her bedroom and passed the dresser, she smiled again. She could not wait until Tony got home. She knew he would be so excited.

* * *

At around 5 o'clock, Tony walked in the front door to find Ziva reading her book on the couch. He was happy to see she didn't have her "barf bucket" with her, as he liked to call it.

"How was your day, my Little Hairy Butt?" Ziva casually asked.

"It was great, Sweetcheeks," he said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "I found a lead that busted the case wide open. How about you?"

"I am feeling much better now, but otherwise, nothing else really happened," she told him, thinking, _Except for the fact that I'm pregnant, honey._

"Well that's good, honey," Tony said, walking up the stairs to get changed out of his suit. "Be right back."

Ziva nodded and watched Tony walk into the room. She waited. And waited. After about a minute, Tony walked out casually holding a pregnancy test between his thumb and index finger.

"Ummm…Sweetcheeks? Is this what I think it is?" he asked, leaning over the balcony. "'Cause April Fool's Day was like, six months ago."

Ziva just smiled proudly. Tony's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He ran to the stairs and skipped down them two steps at a time. Ziva stood up from the couch. He gently grabbed her shoulders and said, "You're pregnant? Like, really, truly pregnant?"

"Yes, Tony, I am! That's why I've been up-ducking every morning! Morning sickness!"

He smiled and ignored her little mistake. "Morning sickness! Of course! I didn't even think of that!"

Ziva laughed and hugged her husband. "We're going to need to tell everyone, you know, soon, or Abby will have our heads."

"We'll meet them tonight at the bar! And then we can tell them!"

"Tony."

"What?"

"You need to stop shouting."

"Oh. Sorry, honey. I'm just REALLY excited!"

Ziva giggled. "I can tell."

"Zi! Guess what?" he picked her up bridal-style and spun her around.

"What?"

"I'm gonna be a dad!" Tony smiled his famous 10,000 watt smile. He leaned into kiss his wife, still smiling.

* * *

"Hurry, Tony!" Ziva shouted, already walking out the door. "We will be late!"

They had called Abby, who had called Gibbs, McGee, Ducky, Palmer, and Director Vance. Nobody knew anything yet, but Tony and Ziva were about to tell them at the bar.

Tony and Ziva walked into the bar, late. They found the rest of the team sitting at a table, already drinking. Tony ordered a beer and Ziva ordered a water.

"Just water, Ziva?" Ducky asked, sipping his drink.

"I can't-" she started, but Tony clamped a hand over her mouth. She shot him a look and Tony immediately removed his hand.

"Boss, Director, McGee," Tony said, taking Ziva's hand. "Abby, Ducky, Palmer…Ziva and I have some…news."

The couple exchanged looks and didn't speak. "Well, you gonna say somethin'?" Gibbs asked, putting down his drink.

Ziva took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant," she said, looking straight at Gibbs. "I just found out today."

"Oh, Ziva, that's fantastic!" Abby jumped up, pushed Tony out of the way, and gave her best friend a big hug.

"Ahem!" Tony coughed, pointing to his chest. "Don't I get a 'congratulations'?"

Abby moved to Tony and hugged him even tighter. "You thought I'd forget you?"

"That was…fast…" Palmer said awkwardly. Gibbs glared at him. "Sorry. I mean…Congratulations!"

"How far along are you, my dear?" Ducky asked, his doctor side kicking in.

"We do not know yet, Ducky," Ziva told him. "We are going in tomorrow."

"Tony, Leon," Gibbs whispered. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

The men walked over to a corner in the bar. "Yes, Gibbs?" Vance asked.

"Anything in NCIS policy regarding maternity leave?" Gibbs asked him, glancing back at the table, where Abby was babbling with Ziva.

"Well, as far as I know, the mother can be out for up to a year afterwards, though I doubt Ziva will want to be away from work that long."

"What about before she has the baby, though?" Tony asked. He looked back longingly at his wife.

"I'll assign her to desk duty," Vance told him. "Paper work and video conferences in MTAC. She can't do any field work."

"She'll hate that," Tony said.

"Would you rather her risk injuring the baby, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked him.

"No."

"DiNozzo, you're still in the field," Vance told him.

"But-"

"No buts, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "Ziva will work in the office while McGee, you, and I work in the field. You'll see Ziva every other second of the day that you're not out on a case. Abby and Ducky can take care of her at her office."

"Okay, Boss. Boss_es_," Tony said, nodding to Gibbs and Vance. He looked back at Ziva again, longing to be at her side.

"Now, Tony, you can go back to Ziva," Gibbs said, smiling.

"Thank you, Boss!" Tony practically sprinted back to the table, bobbing and weaving in between other people in the bar.

"Everything okay, Tony?" Ziva asked him.

"Yup. All good, Sweetcheeks."


	13. Two?

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Two???**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

Tony and Ziva sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office, Tony staring at the huge fish tank next to him, and Ziva reading a parenting magazine.

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo?" the receptionist called. Tony practically leaped up, scaring the fish. Ziva, who was definitely calmer, gently put her magazine back and grabbed her purse. Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and they followed the nurse into a room at the end of the hallway.

Covering the walls were pictures and diagrams showing how the baby would grow and fun stuff like that. Tony glanced at Ziva's flat belly and thought, _No way! There is NO WAY there is a baby in there._

Ziva laid down on the bed next to the ultrasound as Tony grabbed a chair next to the bed. Dr. Parker, Ziva's OB/GYN walked in holding a clipboard and purple latex gloves.

"Ziva!" Dr. Parker exclaimed. "It's so good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you, too, Jill!" Ziva said, smiling.

"And you must be Tony!" Jill said. "I have heard ALL about you. Okay, Ziva. Morning sickness?"

"Yes," Ziva responded, sighing. "For about a week, now."

"Okay. Well, let's take an ultrasound."

Ziva pulled up her shirt to show her still-flat stomach. Dr. Parker smeared the jelly on it. She had just started to examine the picture when Tony's phone rang.

"Gibbs," he said. "Excuse me just for a sec. Be right back, Sweetcheeks."

Tony stepped out and closed the door behind him. "Hello?"

"DiNozzo! Where the hell are you and Ziva?"

"We're at the doctor's! Remember…we told you last night…she's getting her first ultra sound today. I even sent an email! Never mind. You don't check your email."

"Oh, okay, ultrasound…doctors…" Gibbs mumbled as he looked over the email.

"Boss, I'm scared. Terrified, actually…I'm not ready for a kid, Boss."

"DiNozzo, I want you to slap yourself for me."

"What? Why?"

"Because, Tony, you are going to be a great dad. I know that for a fact."

"Thanks, Boss. I really-"

"Tony!" Ziva yelled from inside the room.

"Boss, I gotta go…" Tony said to Gibbs. "I'll call you back in a sec." He ran back through the door, wondering what could have happened. He saw Ziva smiling. He also saw both his wife and Dr. Parker pointing to two different places on the screen. Tony's face lit up. He stepped back out again and called Gibbs back.

"What, DiNozzo?"

"Twins, Boss! Ziva's having twins!"

* * *

**A/N: I know, a short one, but I have to go to softball practice now. I'll try to update on Sunday, if I can. One thing, do you guys want me to actually go through all of the weeks of Ziva's pregnancy, or skip a few months here and there?**

**I KNOW SQUAT ABOUT ANYTHING TO DO WITH PREGNANCY! SO DON'T YELL AT ME FOR THAT! I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN YOU CAN TELL IT'S TWINS, OR WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST ULTRASOUND, OR HOW THE DOCTOR FIGURES OUT HOW PREGNANT YOU ARE! SO NO BAD REVIEWS BECAUSE OF THAT! **

**Sorry for shouting. I just wanted to put that out there. I have never been pregnant and won't be any time soon (I'm 13!) and that would be just weird to ask my mom, so I'm just guessing here. Thank you.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	14. Look at Me

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Look at Me**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine. I also don't own this song, which belongs to Carrie Underwood.**

**Note: This is sorta Tiva: A Love Story mixed with a song fic. Basically, it's still TALS, but in this chapter, Ziva is singing along to Carrie Underwood's song "Look at Me", and she's singing to Tony. Didn't want to confuse anyone.**

* * *

"Tony," Ziva said, sitting on the couch. It was the day after she and Tony had visited the doctor's, and she was about six weeks pregnant with twins. She had begun to show, with just a tiny bump on her stomach, tiny enough to hide with a thick sweater.

"What's up, honey?" her husband said, reading the Sunday comics at the kitchen table.

"I heard this song on the radio the other day."

"What song?"

"It's called, 'Look at Me', by Carrie Underwood."

Tony groaned. "Ziva, you know I don't like country music."

"I know that, my Little Hairy Butt," Ziva said, standing up. She picked up her iPod off of the coffee table and went to put it in the little iHome on the mantle. "And usually, neither do I. but as soon as I heard this song, I fell in love with it. It perfectly describes us."

Tony didn't exactly want to listen to the song, but he humored his wife and went to stand next to her. Ziva put on the song and music filled the room.

**I would bet my life  
like I bet my heart  
that you were the one baby.  
**

_Ziva was right_, Tony thought. Even after the first few words, he knew it was the perfect song. _Their_ song. He spun Ziva around and began to slowly dance with her. Ziva leaned into him and started to sing along quietly. Her beautiful voice filled Tony's ears, and he fell for her all over again.

"**I've never been so sure of anything before. You're driving my heart crazy. I can't hold out, I can't hold back now, like I've done before,**" Ziva sang to him. "**Darlin', look at me. I've fallen like a fool for you. Darlin', can't you see. I'll do anything you want me to. I tell myself I'm in too deep, then I fall a little farther, every time you look at me.**"

"You have a beautiful voice, Ziva," Tony told her, looking her in the eyes.

She smiled and continued to sing. "**How do you do that babe, make me feel like I'm…the only girl alive for you.**"

"It's because you are, Sweetcheeks." He leaned into her lips, and she stopped singing. Carrie Underwood's voice filled their ears as they kissed.**  
**

**  
I don't know what it is  
that makes me fall like this….  
first time in your arms I knew  
the way you held me  
I knew that this could be  
what I've been waiting to find…**

They pulled away, and Tony, knowing the chorus now, started to sing along. "**Darlin', look at me. I've fallen like a fool for you.**"

He stopped, forgetting the next part. Ziva smiled and sang to him, "**Darlin', cant you see, I'll do anything you want me to.**"

Tony laughed and remembered the lyrics. Together, they sang, slowly dancing, looking into each other's eyes. "**I tell myself, I'm gettin' in too deep, then I fall a little farther, every time you look at me.**" They leaned in to kiss again as the last line of the song played and the song ended.****

Everytime you look at me

"You were right, Zi," Tony said. "That is the perfect song."

"I would say, 'I told you so', but I love you too much," Ziva said, smiling.

"I love you, too, Ziva," he replied.

* * *

**A/N: Just a quickie. I'm gonna post another one (not a song fic) tonight. So don't worry, I'm not going to do this every chapter.**

**Anyways, as soon as I heard this song, I totally fell in love with it. It perfectly describes Tiva and I just knew I had to somehow put it in TALS.**

**So anyways, I know this chap came later than expected, (okay…wayyyy later), but now you'll get two in a row!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**


	15. Crazy Pregnant Ninja

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Crazy Pregnant Ninja**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Note: MeganRoseDiNozzo gave me some ideas for this chap. Thanks!**

* * *

"Tony!" Ziva whispered loudly. Her husband was asleep, and she needed him. It was 0200, but still, Ziva needed him. "Tony! Wake up!"

"Mmmphhpmmzzz," Tony grumbled, rolling away from his wife. As much as he loved her, he needed his sleep.

"Tony!"

"What?!?!?" he yelled, sitting up. His hair was completely messed up and he had a sour expression on his face.

"I'm hungry," Ziva said calmly.

Tony sighed. Ziva was 12 weeks pregnant with identical twins and was having crazy cravings at all times during the day. Occasionally, while they were at work, Tony would have to sneak out to the bakery to get a double-chocolate-chip muffin, demanding for McGee to cover for him. "What is it this time?" he asked his wife.

"What do you mean, 'what is it this time'?" Ziva fumed. "Am I really that demanding, Tony? I try not to be. If you are not here, I will go and get myself something, or if we are at work and you are out on a call out, I will go with Abby. I try not to make you do too much for me, but sometimes, I feel like CRAP, and I cannot go and get myself something. Or sometimes, Abby is busy, and she cannot go with me. These STUPID cravings are not my fault, nor can I control them. So I suggest you stop complaining, because YOU are not the one carrying TWINS!!! YOU are not the one with morning sickness EVERY FREAKING DAY!!!"

Tony, completely stunned, just stared at her. "Zi…"

"And I also suggest that you listen to me, Tony, because as much as I love you, I am a pregnant, severely hormonal, TRAINED ASSASSIN that could easily kill you." She stopped, heavily breathing. She put her head in her hands and began to sob.

Tony slid across the bed to her and put his arms around her. He kissed her forehead gently and let her tears stain his T-shirt. "Ssshhhh…Zi…it's okay…I'm here…"

"Oh, Tony," Ziva said, looking up. "I am so sorry! I…I don't know what came over me!"

"Well, like you said, you are a severely hormonal pregnant woman."

Ziva let out a little laugh and hugged her supportive husband.

"So, Sweetcheeks," Tony said. "What would you like to eat?"

"A ham and cheese sandwich. With ketchup on it."

"Ketchup?"

"Yes, ketchup."

"Okay, honey, whatever you say." He got up to go to the kitchen. Five minutes later, he returned with a tray carrying a ham, cheese, and ketchup sandwich; a glass of milk, and two strawberry Starbursts: one for Ziva and one for him.

"Tony," Ziva said after swallowing a bite of her sandwich. "I've been thinking."

"What about?" Tony said.

"We need to think of names."

"Names?"

"Yes. Baby names. We only have until mid-July."

"Well, we've decided we want the genders to be a surprise, so we'll need at least two boy and two girl names."

"Let's start with the boys."

"Okay," Tony said. "How about Anthony Junior? We could call him 'A.J.'." Ziva glared at him. "What?"

"I do not want to name my son A.J. But Anthony…that could work," Ziva said as she smiled.

"Okay…Anthony…Jonathan? That's Hebrew, right?"

"Yes. It means 'gift of God'. Anthony Jonathan. I like that."

"Okay, one down, one to go."

"What about…Aaron? That is Hebrew as well."

"Aaron. Yeah, I like that name. How about Aaron Vincenzo? Vincenzo is Latin, but it sounds Italian enough."

"Okay. Anthony Jonathan and Aaron Vincenzo. Now…for girls…"

"You want to mix Hebrew and Italian-sounding again?" Tony asked, popping his Starburst into his mouth.

"Why not?" Ziva said.

"Okay…I've always loved the name Giana."

"So have I! It means 'God is gracious'."

"Giana sounds perfect. It's Hebrew, but kinda sounds Italian. Giana Grace? No…we can use Grace for the other baby. Giana Rose? Maybe," Tony mumbled to himself.

"Giana Daniele," Ziva blurted out.

"That's perfect! Good thinking, Ziva!"

"Okay, so one more to go. Giana and…Grace?"

"I think we should use Grace as a middle name."

"Good point. Isabella?" Tony asked. "How does that sound?"

"I love that name," Ziva said, chewing her Starburst. "But after _Twilight_, it has kind of gotten old."

"Good point again. Okay…Sophia?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Sophia was a little girl in my class when I was eight years old. We…did not get along…"

"Ohhkay! No Sophia! How about Alexa?"

"Hmmm….I like Alexandra. We could call her 'Allie'."

"That's a great name! Alexandra Grace? How do you like that?"

"Perfect. Okay, so we have Anthony Jonathan and Aaron Vincenzo, or Giana Daniele and Alexandra Grace."

"Yup," Tony replied, yawning. He patted Ziva's stomach gently. "I'm goin' back to sleep. Sleep tight, guys," he said, rubbing her stomach. "Or…girls. Anyways…sleep tight, Ziva. I love you."

"I love you, too, Tony. Sleep well, my Little Furry Bear."

* * *

**A/N: I did it! Two chapters in one night! (hold the applause!) hahaha…anyways…I promise I will update ASAP!!! (there's no school tomorrow, so maybe, MAYBE, I can update again. I promise I'll try.)**

**Anyways, please review!**


	16. Is That Even Legal?

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Is That Even Legal?**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

"So, you see, McGoo," Tony said to his fellow agent. "THAT is why _Twilight_ is for girls only."

"Tony," Ziva said. He snapped his head back to his wife's voice. She was sitting in her chair at her desk and he was leaning against the front of his desk across from her. He walked seductively towards her and she giggled. "Let McGee read what he wants to read. And how would you know what _Twilight_ is like? They are actually really good books."

Tony rolled his eyes. Ziva glared at him. She was about to continue when her phone rang.

"DiNozzo," she said. Tony grinned. He loved hearing her say his last name instead of _David_. "No…this is Ziva DiNozzo…no…not David…I got married six months ago…yes, to Tony DiNozzo…is there something wrong with that?" Tony heard someone laughing hysterically from the other end of the phone. He held out his hand for the phone and Ziva gladly gave it to him. She stood up, annoyed, and walked out of the bullpen to the ladies room. _Being five months pregnant sure puts a lot of pressure on your bladder_, she thought. As she was about to enter the restroom, her cell rang.

She saw Tony's picture on the little LCD screen and smiled. "Yes, my Little Hairy Butt?" she asked.

"Hey, I know you gotta go to the head and everything, Sweetcheeks, but SecNav needs to talk to us about the case in MTAC."

She groaned. "Fine," she said, frowning. "I guess I'll just have to wait."

Tony laughed. "Nah, you go ahead. I'll stall for you."

"You will?"

"Yeah, isn't that my job?"

"Thank you Tony. I love you. I should not be too long." And with that she slapped her phone shut and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

* * *

"Hello, Mr. Secretary," Tony said into the microphone around his head.

"Hello, Agent DiNozzo," the scratchy voice of the Secretary of the Navy said. "May I ask where Agent David is?"

"DiNozzo. Agent DiNozzo."

"Yes, I know that you are Tony DiNozzo. Now where is Ziva David?"

"Mr. Secretary, what I'm trying to say is that Ziva David is now Ziva DiNozzo. We got married sixth months ago."

"You got married?"

"Yes, sir."

"To Ziva?"  
"Yes, sir."

"Was I invited to the wedding?"

"Yes, sir, but you were out of town at the time."

"I was?"

"Yes, sir."

"So where is she?"

"She had to grab the case file," he lied.

"And you couldn't have done that?" the SecNav said, extremely annoyed.

"Well," Tony said slowly. The SecNav didn't know about Ziva's pregnancy. Director Vance had told the two agents not to tell him, because SecNav did not…believe…in maternity time, and he would have most likely fired Ziva. "She's--"

"Right here, Mr. Secretary," Ziva interrupted him, walking swiftly down the ramp. She stood next to Tony and put her hands behind her back.

"Hello, Agents DiNozzo. And, congratulations."

Ziva nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Yes. Now, about the case. I have an alibi for one of your suspects - Jonah Malsan."

Ziva turned around to grab the case file off of the chair behind her. In the moment that she had her side turned to the TV screen, SecNav caught sight of her rounded belly. His eyes widened. When Ziva had been facing him before, he could not see her stomach through the bad reception of the video feed. But now he could distinctly see that she was pregnant.

When Ziva had turned back around, he spoke up. "Well…I see you have some…news for me."

"What do you mean, sir?" Tony asked. He feared the worst.

"I mean, you did not tell me that you were expecting," he said angrily. "I will be seeing you soon."

And with that, the video feed cut off. Tony turned to his wife, his eyes wide with fear. He had seen how mad the SecNav was. Tony remembered when he was just starting out as a young agent, and another agent had been pregnant. SecNav had fired her, claiming it was because she couldn't do her job correctly with all of the "stupid things pregnant women must do," Tony remembered him saying.

He grabbed Ziva's shoulders, who became immediately concerned when she saw how mad Tony had become. "Ziva," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "We need to go see the director and Gibbs."

"Tony," Ziva said, afraid. "What's wrong?"

He gave her a hug and told her it would be okay. There was no way in hell that he would let SecNav steal his wife's job, all because they had decided to have children. Ziva loved her job, and if she couldn't be with NCIS, she would most likely be sent back to Mossad. Tony couldn't let that happen. He couldn't see her leave him again.

* * *

"That sick son of a…" Gibbs started. After he and the director had listened to Tony's story, they were both extremely angry.

"That's not legal, Ziva," the director said. "He can't do that, and we won't let him. Don't worry."

"Tony," Ziva said quietly. "What happened to Marion, the other woman who was fired?"

Tony bit his lip. It was too terrible to tell her.

"Please, Tony," Ziva pleaded. "I need to know."

"SecNav came to NCIS…and when she refused to leave her job, he…he…"

"He shot her," Gibbs said. "Injuring her and killing her unborn child. The case was dismissed because, being the Secretary of the Navy, apparently you can get away with stuff like that. He claimed it was self defense and that the women had thrown a book at him first."

Ziva sat there for a moment, stunned. She then began to sob, at first just small tears trickling down her cheeks, and then it turned it to her shaking and breathing way to heavily. The director shot a look at Gibbs and told Ziva, "Ziva, listen." She looked up from Tony's arms. "There is no way we are ever going to let that happen. That was a freak accident. SecNav was drunk and not thinking straight. He will not allowed anywhere near you."

"Is that so, Leon?" Tony shut his eyes, trying to imagine that the Secretary of the Navy was not standing in the director's office doorway with his gun pointed at Ziva.

Tony and Gibbs moved in front of Ziva, guns drawn.

"You cannot do this to Ziva," Vance said, putting up his hand. "Put down the gun, Phil."

"No! My wife…my wife died in childbirth twenty years ago…and it wasn't even my baby!" he shouted. "That little…that little _monster_ inside her_ killed_ her. I can't see another woman die because of a stupid baby!"

"Phil…" the director warned.

"No! You listen to me, Leon!" the Secretary shouted, gun shaking. "That baby Ziva is carrying deserves to DIE! I will not have another one of my agents killed, especially during childbirth."

"So it wasn't self defense!" Tony shouted, aiming his gun at SecNav again. "You paralyzed Marion and murdered her baby!"

"Being paralyzed is better than being dead!" SecNav shouted back. "That baby would have killed her!"

"Do you know how rare it is to die in childbirth?" Tony yelled. "Marion could have been walking around now, doing her job as an agent, with a seven year old son at home, but no. You murdered her son and cost her her job!"

"Tony," Gibbs warned. "Relax. He's got a loaded weapon and is a little jumpy now. You shooting him isn't going to help you, Ziva, or the babies."

"Babies?" SecNav asked, taking a step closer to Ziva. "How many of those little brats do you got in there? How many shots do I have to take?"

"You lay one hand on her and I'll put a bullet through your head," Gibbs said.

SecNav smiled. "I'm not going to touch her," he said. "But this will!" he pulled the trigger, but before he could pull it all the way, eight shots rang out. The SecNav collapsed, and Tony looked up to see McGee standing about ten feet behind him, gun still drawn. Tony, Director Vance, Gibbs, and McGee had each fired two shots, delivering one to SecNav's head (like Gibbs had promised), two to his chest, three to his abdomen, and two to his upper thigh.

Tony turned around and gave Ziva the biggest hug he had ever given her. He kissed her hair and said to her, "I told you it would be okay, didn't I?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! I was in Disney World for a week and before that I was super busy packing!!**

**Okay, so this one had some action! I hope you guys liked it! I promise I'll try to update ASAP, but I'm seriously swamped with homework! Thanks for reading! Review please!!!**


	17. Happy Daddy to Be

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Happy Daddy-to-Be**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

"Tony!" Ziva screamed, still in her nightmare. "Help me! Help!"

Tony awoke suddenly, fearing the worst. "Ziva! What? What's wrong?" When he realized she was still asleep, he shook her gently to get her to wake up. She woke up gasping, sitting straight up in their bed. She looked at Tony for a moment, then put her head in her hands and started to sob. He slid across the bed and put his arms around her, rocking her gently. "Shhh…it's just a dream, Zi…it's okay…I'm here." She had been having nightmares almost every night ever since SecNav's rampage, even though it was about a month ago.

He held her until her sobs turned into small tears trickling down her cheeks every once in a while. He wiped away the sweaty hair stuck to her forehead and smoothed it down. They sat their in silence until she spoke. "I…I dreamt that…that he came here, Tony. And he shot us both."

He turned her head by gently grabbing her chin. "It's over, Zi," he reassured her. "He's never coming back. No one is going to hurt any of us."

"I know that, but I still-"

"Ziva."

"Yes?"

"No. One. Is. Ever. Going. To. Hurt. Us. Trust me. I would never let-"

His words were silenced by her lips gently brushing against his. He smiled and leaned over her, being careful of her round belly. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"My phone. It's Gibbs."

"Oh," she sighed. She had been so distracted that she hadn't heard the phone vibrate against the wooden table next to her side of the bed. She looked at the clock: 0630. She groaned and rolled out of bed awkwardly. Tony hung up the phone and turned to her.

"Got a case. Gibbs wants us in the office by 0730."

"Is he crazy? It's Saturday!"

"I know, but he says it's important."

"We're not going to have enough time to take separate showers, Tony," Ziva hinted.

He smiled. "Group shower works for me!"

* * *

Tony found it quite amusing that Ziva had to shave her face using his razor. He found it even funnier that pregnant women get hair on their face by the time they're 24 weeks pregnant. He did not find it funny when Ziva slapped him for laughing at her.

Now that they were in the car on the way to work, Tony had apologized and Ziva had forgiven him – almost.

When they parked and got out of the car, Ziva paused, placing her hand on her belly. "What?" Tony asked after she had called to him.

"I know we have felt them kick before…but that…was a BIG one…_ow_."

Tony practically ran around the car. He always got extremely excited when one of the babies – or both – moved around. He gently put his hand where she was pointing to. He felt another tiny kick under his palm. He looked up at his wife, who was looking at the clock on her phone. She met his excited eyes and smiled. "I know you are excited, Tony, and I am as well, but it is 0728 and Gibbs will not be happy if we are late."

Tony sighed and stood up. He slung his bag over his shoulder and took Ziva's as well, and the two agents entered the elevator.

* * *

The elevator doors opened and the agents stared into the black. Every single light was off, including all computer monitors and backup lights. Tony and Ziva cautiously stepped out of the elevator, Tony drawing his gun. He had forbidden – more like seriously advised – Ziva to stop carrying her gun, just incase it were to go off unexpectedly. She knew there was no chance it would, but she humored Tony and let him keep it at his waist. He handed her her gun and she held it up. All of a sudden, all of the lights flicked on.

"Surprise!" Abby yelled, jumping out from behind the partition separating Ziva's desk from the rest of the room. Everyone else in the room, including agents that they did not even know, jumped out from behind walls and desks. Abby saw their confused faces and drawn guns and she put her hands on her head. "Don't shoot!" she cried. Tony put his gun in the holster and Ziva handed hers to him.

Abby put her hands down. "Sheesh," she said, scooting between Ziva's desk and the wall. "I try to throw you a baby shower and you almost shoot me!"

"Baby shower?" Ziva asked. "I thought you said we had a case!" She glared at her husband, who was glaring at Gibbs.

"Don't look at me!" Tony said. "I thought we _did_ have a case!"

Abby ran towards Ziva and pulled her into an awkward hug. "We needed to say it was a case to get you guys to actually come in on a Saturday."

"And you couldn't have waited 'til later in the day?" Tony asked.

"Oh…didn't think of that…whoops!" Abby said, moving to hug Tony. "Okay, let's try this again. You two," she said, pointing to Tony and Ziva, "act surprised. Everyone else, hide again. You too, Gibbs! McGee, lights!"

Tony rolled his eyes as everyone ducked down and Tim turned the lights off. When they turned back on, everyone jumped up and yelled, "Surprise!"

"Oh!" Ziva said, trying to be surprised! "Tony! What a nice surprise!"

"I know!" he said almost robotically. "This is so cool! Thank you, Abby!"

Abby dropped her hands that she had put up when she jumped. "You guys are so lame. One more time! Everyone, places! Timmy-"

"Abs," Gibbs said calmly.

"Yesss, Gibbs?" she said slowly, turning around on her heel.

"Just get on with it."

"Fine. Ziva, you sit here." She motioned to a rolling chair with balloons tied to it saying "Mommy-to-Be" on them. Once Ziva had sat down, Abby grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him to a chair next to Ziva with the words "Daddy-to-Be" on the balloons.

"Abby," Tony said, trying to get up.

"Tony," she said, glaring at him. "Sit down or I will sit _on_ you." Tony sat down immediately. "Okay, so…take it away, McGee!" Abby said, pointing to him.

"What?" the agent questioned. "What am I supposed to say?"  
"I thought we rehearsed this!" Abby said.

"You rehearsed for a baby shower?" Ziva asked.

Abby sighed. "Whatever. Anyways…this is Tony and Ziva…and they are due to have twins on July…?"

"Eighteenth," Ziva told her.

"Yes, on July 18th, so today we're having a baby shower to welcome the little one. Err...little _ones_."

Everyone in the room clapped, causing Ziva to blush. Abby walked up to Ziva and gave her another hug. "Alright, McGee! Bring on the presents!" Abby yelled.

* * *

After the party was over, the two agents drove home, followed by Gibbs. In the back of his rusty old pick up truck was box after box of baby supplies, times two. The gifts had included: bibs, blankets, two miniature Bert-the-Farting-Hippos from Abby, baby books, socks, stuffed animals, burping cloths, nookies, bottles, and also a promise from Gibbs to make two baby cribs in his basement.

After Gibbs and Tony had unpacked all of the stuff and brought it into the would-be nursery, Gibbs stayed for a cup of coffee and had a man-to-man talk with Tony while Ziva took a nap upstairs.

"Boss," Tony whispered after swallowing his coffee. "Remember how I told you I was terrified of being a dad?"

"Yep."

"Well, I still am."

"And you're looking for some advice." It was more a statement than a question.

Tony sighed. "Yeah. What's it like to be a dad, Gibbs?" Tony immediately cringed, remembering how touchy his boss was about Kelly and Shannon. "I'm…sorry…I shouldn't have-"

"No, Tony," Gibbs said quietly. "It's okay." He set down his coffee mug and leaned back. "Being a dad is…amazing. You want to do anything and everything for your kids. You want them to grow up and be happy and healthy and strong. You love them more than your own life. You read them stories at night, and you tuck them in. You feed 'em pancakes in the morning and teach them to play sports all day and then at night you sit and watch them sleep. And _that_ is what being a dad is like. Sure, you've got a few years before you get to do that, but for now, you just love them and feed them and change their diapers."

Tony stared at him in disbelief. "I have never heard you say that much…ever…"

Gibbs smiled. "I've been waiting to tell you that ever since you and Ziva fell in love."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Boss," Tony said, looking him in the eyes. "Thank you."

Gibbs nodded. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah," Tony laughed. "About those diapers…"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so the countdown to the fantastic chapter 20 has begun! I bet you can't wait! (I can't!) So…for the babies…they're identical twins, so it's gonna be two boys or two girls. I already know the gender, but what do you think it's gonna be? Boys or girls? Send me your guess with your review, and if you're the first person to review, I'll tell you if you're right! **

**I have no school this week (woo hoo!) so I might be able to update soon! (Key word: MIGHT). But I promise I'll try!! Keep reading and reviewing!!!**


	18. Getting Ready

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Getting Ready**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

"Ziva!!!" Abby yelled from across the store. "Look at these! Aren't they so cute???" She ran towards Ziva, who was looking at baby bottles.

Ziva's eyes widened when she saw what her friend was holding. "Umm…Abby…I don't think I want my newborn children wearing…skulls…"

"No silly! Not these!" Abby said, holding up the red and black skull covered baby dress. "These are for my doll!"

"Doll?"

"Yes. Doll. I've had it since I was little. It looks like a real baby, so I buy real baby clothes to put on it."

Ziva nodded slowly. "Ohhh...kay…"

"I wanted to show you these!" Abby squealed, holding up little pale yellow onesie. "These could be for a boy or girl! And look!" She pointed to a little duck embroidered on the front. "Isn't that the cutest thing?? The cutest thing ever???"

"Yes, Abby, it is adorable! We will need to get two, though. And the smallest size they have."

Abby nodded. She bent down so that she was level with Ziva's round belly. She held up the garment to Ziva's stomach. She started to talk in baby talk. "You little guys like that? How does this look? Cuz if you don't like it, that's fine. If you really wanted, we could get you the skull dress."

Ziva shook her head and laughed. "Abby," she said. Abby looked up at her. "I know they can hear you, but I'm pretty positive they can't _see_ you."

Abby stood up, shrugging. "Oh well." She turned around and stopped when something caught her eye. Her eyes widened. "Oh. My. God. Ziva! Look! Isn't this so cute???"

* * *

"So, Tony," McGee said, paint roller in hand. "What's our plan of attack?"

"Hmm…" Tony mumbled. He put down the grass green paint and opened up the can. "Ziva's idea was to add more paint later, depending on if they're boys or girls. You know what I mean?" McGee nodded and handed Tony the paint tray. Tony poured the pretty light green paint into the tray. "Cuz if we get two little boys, she can use baby blue or somethin' to make it baby-boyish, and if we get girls, she can use pink. She explained the whole thing a few days ago when we bought the paint. I still don't really get it."

McGee let out a laugh. "Pink doesn't sound like Ziva."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, but I think she's become a little more girly now, you know, picking out baby stuff," Tony said, setting his paint roller down. "She told me that it's like she's having the childhood she never got to have. Cuz her dad had her training to kill by the time she was, like, four, and she never really got to be a little girl that played with dolls and dress up and stuff."

"Wow," McGee whispered. Tony was right; Ziva had been softening up a little bit. McGee liked it. She was less scary now.

"Anyways," Tony said, standing up. "Plan of attack. I'll take this half," Tony motioned to his right, "and you take this half," he said as he pointed to the opposite side of the room. "See this space here?" Tony pointed to two strips of tape about a foot apart in the middle of the wall that went all the way around the room. McGee nodded. "Good. Don't paint it. Depending on if they're boys or girls, this is gonna be blue or pink. Above this stripe is green, and below it is green. Got it?"

McGee nodded. "Got it, Boss." He shut his eyes tight, immediately regretting what he had just said.

Tony laughed at his friend's mistake. "Okay, Probie. Let's get to work."

* * *

"Abby," Ziva said, shifting her body in Abby's passenger seat. They had finished their shopping, buying clothes that would work for boys or girls and also buying books about raising twins. Abby had bought her little Goth dress, and she was in a great mood.

"What?" she said, turning down the radio.

"Well," Ziva began. "Because Tony is an only child and my siblings aren't alive anymore, the babies will not have any aunts or uncles or any other adult figures in their lives except for Tony and I. We asked Gibbs to basically be their grandfather, as he is like a father to me, but we also want you to be in their lives, Abby. Would you like to be their godmother, or at least, sort of like their godmother?"

"Oh, Ziva, I'd love to be!"

Ziva smiled. "Tony is going to ask McGee if he would like to be their godfather today."

Abby grinned and looked at the clock on her dashboard. "We still have a couple of hours until we can go back, so how about we hit the mall? You're gonna need so cute outfits for your self after you have the babies."

Ziva laughed and told Abby to take a right at the next exit to get there quicker.

* * *

"Hey, Probie," Tony said, painting in even strokes along the side of the door frame.

"Yeah, Tony?" McGee said slowly, rolling his paint roller in the tray again.

"Me and Ziva were wonderin'…would you like to be the babies' godfather?"

"Tony, that would be awesome," McGee said softly. "But I don't think I'm ready for that type of responsibility."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm, you know, kinda nervous around kids and I'd probably end up doing something wrong."

"Whoa, man. As a godfather, you traditionally just help the kid be closer to God or something, but we're not really asking you to do that. We just want to have more adults in their lives than me and Ziva."

"Oh. Well, in that case, Tony, I'd be honored."

"Thanks, Tim! Ziva's asking Abby to be the godmother."

McGee grinned and got back to his painting.

* * *

It was around 1600 when Gibbs arrived with the cribs he had made, as promised. Tony and McGee helped him bring them in off the back of his truck, being extra careful as they walked up the stairs to the newly painted nursery. They placed the chocolate brown cribs on adjacent walls, being careful because the paint hadn't dried yet. Gibbs looked around the room and frowned. "It's pretty boring in here," he said.

"Zi and Abby went shopping today to get window stuff and bedding. They should be home soon," Tony explained. "And as soon as they're born and we know the gender, we're gonna paint that middle stripe blue or pink."

"I can do that for you," Gibbs said, turning to face Tony.

"Boss, you don't have to…I can-"

"Tony," Gibbs said. "You're gonna be busy with two little babies and you're not gonna want to leave the hospital to come home and paint a stripe on a wall. I'll paint it for you."

"Thanks, Gibbs," Tony said, truly meaning it.

"Tony!" Abby yelled, walking in the door. "We're home! And there are tons of bags in the trunk!"

Tony and Gibbs followed McGee down the stairs. Ziva walked in the door, holding many more bags than she should have been able to hold. Gibbs took the bags from her and set them down on the bench next to the door. Ziva thanked him and turned around to go back out to get more bags, when Gibbs stopped her.

"Zivers…sit," he said. "We can get the bags."

"Gibbs, I'm-" she started.

"Thirty weeks pregnant? Yeah, that's what I thought. Go. Sit down. Take a break."

She looked at Tony, then back to Gibbs. She sighed, defeated, and went to sit in the kitchen. Abby followed her, grabbing some of the bags.

As soon as the rest of the bags of had been brought in, the five friends sat around the island in the kitchen, looking at everything that Ziva and Abby had bought. When Tony asked why they had bought both pink and blue curtains, Abby explained that they could always return one color and put up the right ones after the babies were born.

After Abby, McGee, and Gibbs had left, Tony brought the bags up to the nursery and came down with a little mask for Ziva to wear to protect her from the paint fumes when he took her up to see the nursery. When he saw her confused expression, he grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs. They stopped outside of the nursery and Tony put the mask over Ziva's nose and mouth. He put his hand over her eyes and opened the door.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the room and gasped. It was so perfect – just like how she had always dreamed. She turned to Tony and leaned in to kiss him, forgetting about the mask. When he felt his lips hit the mask, he laughed. He pulled her outside of the room, gently took off the mask, and kissed her.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I updated this week! Just like I promised! Anyways…tell me if you liked it in your review!**

**Other notes…**

**SemperFi NCIS---she's my review buddy! Read her stories!! They're really good!!! Right now she's writing ****Une Journée à Paris****, about Tiva's trip to Paris in "Jetlag"! Read it!! **

**Moving on…I'll try and update soon! The next few chapters are gonna be exciting! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge…) hahaha**

**Anyways…thanks for reading!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!! **


	19. Think Fast

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Think Fast**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

Tony pulled into the parking spot closest to the entrance of the furniture store so Ziva wouldn't have to walk as far. Today, they were looking for a changing table and a dresser that matched the chocolate colored cribs that Gibbs had made. He opened his door and closed it gently, not wanting to hurt his precious car. He ran around to the passenger's side and opened Ziva's door before she got a chance to.

"Tony," she said, slowly getting out. "I am pregnant, not crippled."

"Yeah," he said, shutting the door behind her. "Very pregnant." He eyed her very round belly. "Like, eight months pregnant."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Tony laughed. "You ready, Sweet Cheeks?" She nodded. "Okay, let's go spend some money."

They entered the store, noticing how there was practically no one there. _Well, _Tony thought. _It _is_ Sunday morning._ They walked around the store, passing by cribs and chairs and tables and kitchen cabinets. When they reached the area with the changing tables, Tony pointed out one that was the same brown color as the cribs.

Ziva noted the pink accents along the wood and said, "And what if they are boys, Tony?"

He nodded slowly, saying, "Good point."

Something caught Ziva's eye. Across the aisle of the store, she saw a bed that looked familiar. "Tony," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Look. Where have we seen that bed?" She pointed to the child's bed shaped like a red Ferrari.

His eyes widened. "Ha ha! Okay, Zi, if they are boys, we are _so_ buying those beds."

Ziva started to laugh but stopped suddenly. "Tony…" she said slowly.

He turned to her voice. "What, Zi?" His eyes grew large as he noticed the small puddle forming below her. "Your water just broke, didn't it?" She nodded. _Crap_, he thought. _This is not good._

"Here, Zi, just lie down," he said, his heart racing. She complied, not really having much of a choice. Tony yelled to a store clerk behind the nearest register. When the clerk looked back with a confused face, Tony motioned to Ziva and yelled, "Hey, she's goin' into labor, bud. Call an ambulance!"

The nervous clerk nodded and picked up the phone. He pushed 911 with his shaking fingers and quickly told the operator on the other end what was happening.

"Tony," Ziva said, reaching up to grab his sleeve. "Promise me something."

"What, honey?" Tony said. "Anything."

"Promise me that these babies will not be born in a furniture store. They will be premature, and they need to be born in a hospital."

"Um, Zi," he said slowly. "I can't really decide that…"

"Tony. Promise me."

"Oh-okay, I promise, Sweet Cheeks." Tony watched her wince in pain, which made him hurt, too.

Tony felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see a paramedic reassuring him. "It's okay, sir, ma'am, we're here," the paramedic said. "My name's Roy, and this is Ed, and we're with the Metro Fire Dept."

"I'm Tony," Tony told him, sliding back so the paramedics could help Ziva. "And this is my wife, Ziva."

"Okay, Ziva," Roy said, taking her blood pressure. "This your first?"

Ziva nodded. "Twins."

"Okay," Roy said. "How far along are you?"

"Thirty-two weeks, as of yesterday."

"Hey," Tony whispered to Roy. "I, um, promised her that she wouldn't have these kids here."

"Well it depends on how far into labor she is."

"Okay, but she's a, um…trained assassin, so I suggest you get her to a hospital."

Roy seemed unfazed. He said to Tony, "These babies are premature, so we need to get her to a hospital fast anyways. The closest hospital is Portsmouth…that ok?" Tony nodded. "Okay. Let's go, then. The ambulance just arrived."

"Well, let's go!" Ziva said, trying not to yell. "I'm kind of in labor, here!"

* * *

**A/N: AHHH!!!! Haha I bet you thought this was gonna happen for the big chapter 20!!! But no!!! Haha sorry that was mean. **

**I'll try to update later tonight, but today's the last day of February vacation and I still have homework…whoops…**

**I still want guesses to see if you guys think they'll be boys or girls!!! I'm not gonna tell anymore, but I still want to know what you think!**

**BTW, congrats to MeganRoseDiNozzo, who was the first guesser…and she guessed right! But don't go asking her what the answer is, cuz I swore her to secrecy. **

**Anyways…leave me a nice review, please!!!! If I get a bunch of good ones, I just might be inspired to write tonight!!! **


	20. Welcome to the World

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Welcome to the World**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

Tony and Ziva watched in horror as their little girls were whisked away to the NICU. They had been born crying and breathing, but not very well. They knew the survival rate for twins born at 32 weeks was very high, but they still were terrified when the first baby came out a little gray and the second came out sort-of crying and coughing.

"Tony," she said, with tears in her eyes. "I…I did not even get to hold them! What if something happens? What if…?"

"Shh, shh, Zi," Tony said, trying to reassure her, which was not easy, being that the fear he felt for his daughters was overwhelming as well. "It'll all be okay…they'll be okay…don't worry." He smoothed down her hair and wiped away her tears, kissing her on the forehead.

"Tony, Ziva," they heard. They looked up to find a frazzled Dr. Parker holding a clipboard. "I have good news, and bad news," she said. "The good news is, both girls came out crying, meaning they can breathe on their own." She paused. "The bad news is, even though they can breathe on their own, they can't do it as well as a baby born at full term. Their little lungs aren't completely formed, and they'll need to stay in incubators in the NICU until their lungs completely form, which shouldn't take too long. They just need a little help breathing, and they're small, but on the whole, they're healthy little girls."

Tony sat down on the edge of the bed. It was a lot to take in. "When can we see them?"

"Well, you-" she pointed to Tony "can see them as soon as they are set up in their incubators. And Ziva, you can see them as soon as you're rested and we get you a wheelchair."

"Jill," Ziva said. "I am fine. I need to see them."

"Ziva," she protested. "You are not fine. You just had twins. You need to recover. If you get some rest, maybe you can see them later tonight."

Ziva sighed. She wanted to see her babies, but she was absolutely exhausted and needed rest. She closed her eyes, determined to get as much sleep as possible in the next few hours. Tony grinned and went to grab a chair so he could get some sleep to. He didn't think it was fair if he got to be with the girls before Ziva, and he was exhausted as well. Dr. Parker smiled and left the new parents to sleep in the delivery room.

* * *

Tony had slept for about twenty minutes, but then he remembered what Abby had told him about an hour before Ziva had the babies.

_"Tony," Abby said, running up to him to give him a hug. "They're gonna be okay, trust me. I have all of the nuns praying for them and for Ziva. Sure, they're a little early, but they have the best doctors here, and there are nuns praying for them."_

_ "Thanks, Abs," Tony said, hugging her back._

_ "How is she, Tony?" Ducky asked, standing up from his seat in the waiting area._

_ "She's refusing pain killers," Tony said, running his hands through his hair. "So my fingers are gonna be broken by the end of the day." He let out a little nervous chuckle. _

_ Gibbs could see right through his disguise. "Tony," he said. "How is she?"_

_ Tony understood. "She's scared. The survival rate for twins born at 32 weeks is something like 90%, but she's still terrified that they won't be okay. I keep telling her they will, but…"_

_ "Tony," Abby said. "You have to come tell us as soon as they're born. Promise?" She held out her pinkie. _

_ Tony wrapped his pinkie around hers. "Promise."_

He quietly left Ziva there, not wanting to wake her up. He walked down the bright white hallway to the waiting area. He smiled when he saw Abby asleep on McGee's shoulder, and McGee's head laying on hers. Gibbs put down his _Sniper Monthly_ magazine when he saw Tony enter the room.

"Well?" Gibbs said. McGee and Abby lifted their heads, yawning.

"Tony!!!" Abby yelled, running to him and giving him another big hug. This time, he didn't hug her back. Abby took a step back. "What? What's wrong?" she asked.

Tony took a deep breath. "Two little girls. Alexandra and Giana. They're really small, and their lungs aren't totally formed. They have to stay in the NICU until they can breathe like full-term babies."

"Oh, dear," Ducky said.

"As soon as Ziva wakes up, we're going to go see them. I don't know when you guys can, but the doctors don't think they'll have to be in the NICU for more than a few days."

"Oh, Tony," Abby said, hugging him for a third time. "They'll be okay! When can we see Ziva?"

"She's pretty tired, Abs…"

"Let her sleep, Abby," Gibbs said. "How are your fingers, Tony?"

"Huh? Oh, fingers. Haha…they hurt a little, but they're not broken." Gibbs nodded. McGee spoke up for the first time. "How small are they, Tony?"

"Well, we haven't actually decided which baby is which yet, because we want to see them first. But we know that the first baby weighs 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and the second baby weighs 4 pounds, 6 ounces."

"Wow," Tim said.

"That's so little," Abby said slowly. "Are they gonna be okay, Tony?"

"The outlook is good, but these next few hours will tell the doctors more." Abby nodded. Tony smiled tiredly. "I've got to go back to Ziva. I'll let you know when she's awake."

"I'll paint that stripe for you, Tony," Gibbs said, grabbing his magazine.

"Thanks, Boss," Tony answered.

They all said good bye and sat down again, watching their friend leave. The fear for the girls was palpable in the entire waiting room.

* * *

Tony walked into the hospital room that Ziva had since been moved to. When he had returned from his visit with the team, they were ready to move her. She had fallen asleep again and Tony had gone with Dr. Parker to get her a wheelchair.

"Oh, Zi!" Tony said, pushing the empty wheelchair in front of him. "You're awake!"

She nodded sleepily. When she saw the wheelchair, she became excited. "Are we going to see them, Tony?"

He smiled and nodded. She looked like a little kid in Disney World - she was so happy.

"The girls are breathing by themselves now, but we still need to monitor them for the next day or two, just in case," Dr. Parker said. "They're healthy enough to hold now, too."

Tony and Dr. Parker helped Ziva out of the bed and into the wheelchair. They wheeled her down the hallway to the NICU. When they got there, Dr. Parker hit a little button on the wall. A nurse came out with three sets of scrubs for them all to wear. After they had put their outfits on and their masks, the nurse led them to "less critical" section of the NICU.

When Ziva saw the girls lying in their incubators, sleeping, she put her hand over her mouth. _They are so tiny, _she thought. Tony saw the tears of joy in her eyes and put his hand on her shoulder. The nurse took one baby out of the incubator and gently placed her in Ziva's arms. She opened her little blue eyes and reached up towards Ziva's face.

"You," Ziva said, "are Alexandra. I just know it."

The nurse took the other baby out of her incubator and placed her in Tony's arms. "And you," Tony said, looking down at his beautiful baby girl, "must be Giana."

"Let me know if you need anything," the nurse said, giving the new family some privacy.

Tony nodded, mesmerized by his daughter's stunning blue eyes. He knew they would probably turn either green or brown soon, but for now, he wished that they would stay that color blue forever. He knelt down besides Ziva's wheelchair and held up Giana next to Alexandra.

"Look at them, Tony," Ziva said, staring intently at both of her daughter's faces, taking in every little detail. "Really look at them. They have your nose, and my hair," she said, fingering the dark brown wisps on each baby's head.

"I'll bet they'll grow up to be ninjas, just like you, Zi," Tony said, kissing his wife on the forehead.

"There is no way I am letting them anywhere near Mossad, or my father," Ziva said sternly. "They will never go through what I had to go through."

"Zi, I didn't mean that," Tony said. "What I meant was…I bet they'll grow up to be strong little girls, just like their mama."

"I know, Tony," she said quietly, letting little Alexandra grab onto her pinkie finger. "And I am sorry for bringing that up." She looked at the baby that she held in her arms. "Alexandra is a mouthful to say when you're speaking in baby talk. Do you think she should have a nick name?"

"How about Allie?" Tony suggested. "Then we could call her Allie Grace as a nick name for her nick name."

Ziva laughed at her husband's strange philosophy. "Allie is perfect. How do you like that, little one?" she asked her little girl. Allie opened and closed her fist and kicked her feet in her blanket in excitement.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tony said.

* * *

**A/N: OMG THE BABIES ARE HERE!!!! For whoever guessed girls, congrats…get yourself a Probie snack, but not from Tony's desk. Lol…haha sorry bad joke.**

**Heyy I made a mistake last time and said that Megan Rose DiNozzo was the first guesser…she wasn't. Megsw97 was…and she guessed right as well. I guess I just got the MEG parts confused…sorry!!!**

**Anyways…I had a snow day today!!! (I love NY weather!!!) So…that's why I got a chance to update. I promise I will try to update ASAP!!! But I have one question: would it be better if I wrote longer chapters every once in a while…or shorter chapters closer together??? Let me know what you think!!! REVIEW!!! (Please!)**


	21. Smiles

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Smiles**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

Tony and Ziva had since "traded" babies, so each could be with their other daughter. Tony held little Allie while Ziva held Giana.

Tony looked at Ziva holding Giana and fell in love with her all over again. It was like she was always meant to be a mother – she looked so perfect, with her hair in a messy bun, a few strands tucked behind her ear. She looked down at her baby girl, then back up at Tony and Allie. There eyes met for a second, and Ziva gave him a tired smile.

"What?" she asked.

"You just look beautiful, Zi," Tony said, gently rocking Allie. "You holding Gi…you look perfect."

"Gi?"

"Yeah…I guess it just came to me…we don't have to call her that, if you don't want-"

"No," she insisted. "That is perfect. 'Gi' is beautiful."

They stayed there for about another half hour, before going back to tell the team the news and letting them see Ziva.

As soon as Ziva was back in her hospital bed and was ready to see the rest of the team, Tony left to go get them. He walked down the hallway to the waiting area for what seemed like the tenth time that day. It was now almost 2300 (the girls had been born at around 1630), and Tony walked in to see almost everyone asleep again, except for Gibbs and Ducky.

"Probie, Abs," Tony said. When they didn't respond, he shouted, "Probie! Front and center!"

"What?" McGee said, extremely confused, jumping to his feet. In his haste, he knocked a stack of magazines to the floor. Gibbs let out a little smile at his stupidity.

Tony smiled as well. "He's a keeper, Abs," he said, not really meaning much. Abby glared at him. Tony stopped laughing.

"So, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said. "What's up?"

"Ziva and I went to see the girls," Tony explained. "They're healthy enough to breathe on their own now, and we got to hold them, too. They're lucky…most babies have to stay in the NICU longer, but they should be out by tomorrow or the next day."

"Can we see Ziva now?" Abby asked after she had helped McGee pick up the magazines.

Tony nodded. "She really wants to see you guys. Her doctor said you can all come at once, too, if you want."

"Oh, yay!" Abby squealed. "Yay yay yay!!! C'mon Timmy! Let's go!"

* * *

Tony led Abby, McGee, Gibbs, and Ducky down the hallway to Ziva's room.

"Ziva!" Abby yelled, running towards her, chains clanging against her boots.

"Abby," Ziva said calmly, hugging her.

"Oh, I was so worried!" Abby said. She stepped back and let Gibbs have is turn.

Ziva looked up at Gibbs' proud smile and was immediately choked up. He leaned in to hug her and whispered, "I am so proud of you. Congratulations, Zivers." He looked at the tears on her cheeks. "Shh, Zi. Don't cry."

"These are happy tears, Gibbs," she whispered, wiping away the tears. "Thank you."

He kissed her forehead and stepped back to let Ducky talk to her.

"Ziva," Ducky said.

"Ducky," she said, prodding him to go on.

He hesitated. "Congratulations, my dear." He leaned to hug her.

"Hey," Tony said. "Doesn't the dad get any love?"

Gibbs walked over to him, put his hands on Tony's shoulders, and said, "I'm proud of you, too, Tony." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Polaroid photograph. "Here's that stripe for you, too."

Tony looked at the picture. Sure enough, Gibbs had painted the stripe baby pink. But he had also, apparently with McGee's help, as Tony would learn later, put up the curtains, put in a little area rug, and put the girls' names above their cribs. Tony hadn't seen the rug before, and he was pretty sure Ziva didn't buy it and hide it from him. "Thanks, Boss!" he said, examining the picture again. "Where's the rug from?"

"That rug," Gibbs began, "is from Kelly's room. I figured you guys could use it more than I could."

"Gibbs, you shouldn't have," Tony started. "Please…that's your memory."

"Tony, no one's ever going to see it at my house. In yours, they will."

"Thank you, Boss," Tony said. He handed the photo back to him.

"Keep it, Tony," Gibbs said. He tapped his temple. "I've got it all up here."  
Tony smiled and turned to Ziva, who was talking to McGee, Ducky, and Abby now. Ziva was telling them all about Allie and Giana, with a huge smile on her face. She met Tony's eyes, and Tony knew that just that little smile meant that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so there you go! I promise I'll try to update ASAP! I'm home sick with strep throat (which totally and completely sucks), so that means no school (well, it's the weekend anyways) and more updating!!!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I think I'll start doing what SemperFi NCIS does…the review hall of fame thing…so review for me, and if you leave a good one, I just might give you a sneak peak at a future chapter!!!**


	22. My Girls

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: My Girls**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

Tony walked through the NICU in his new set of scrubs that he had to put on every time he went to see his girls, which was pretty often. He had gotten used to them, but he still felt like McGee in his "aqua-smurf" suit every time he put them on. He followed the pretty nurse (that, a year and a half ago, he would have chased a flirted with), past sickly babies and tired parents. Tony said a silent prayer for them and thanked God that his daughters were healthy enough to be without any kind of tubes or wires.

When he reached where they were, the nurse told Tony to sit in the chair next to the incubators. She first took out Giana, gently placing her in his left arm. She then took Allie and put her in his right arm. The nurse smiled and left, giving Tony and his girls some alone time.

"Hey guys," he said, looking from one to the other. "Your mom's sleeping, so I'm here by myself." Giana opened and closed her fist and yawned. Allie let out a little cry and reached up towards Tony's face. "Of course, you guys probably won't call her mom until you're like, older…maybe you'll call her Mama, or Mommy…but don't call her Ninja; that's my name for her." Tony paused. "And I guess you can call Abby 'Aunt Abby', and Ducky will be Ducky…and I don't think McGee would like it if you called him Probie…so you better call him 'Uncle Timmy'."

Tony thought of how to explain to them who was who. "Let's see…you already know your mom and me…Aunt Abby has black hair and wears a lot of chains and stuff, which I'm sure you'll have fun with. Uncle Timmy is kinda funny looking, but you'll love him. And Gibbs…he's basically your grandpa…being that he's basically a dad to both your mom and me."

Allie looked over at her sister as Tony kept babbling. Giana looked back and made a little face, meaning, "This guy is crazy". Allie opened and closed her fist and kicked her feet, meaning, "I know what you mean, sis."

* * *

**A/N: Hey… I need ideas…what should the girls call Gibbs?? Grandpa? Papa? Gibbs??? Anyways…a short one, I know. But that's how I'm gonna do it now: short ones more often, with a long one when I need it. The next chap should be longer!**

**Please review!!!!1**

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	23. Meeting the Team

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Meeting the Team**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

It had been about two and a half days since the girls had been born, and today was the day when they would be moved from the NICU to the regular nursery. Tony had reluctantly gone home the day before to get himself and Ziva a few changes of clothes. Ziva had also told him to grab the yellow ducky onesies that she and Abby had bought, along with the car seats, and he had.

At about 1100, Dr. Parker walked into Ziva's room. Ziva and Tony were talking to Abby and McGee about the current cold case that they were supposed to be following up on, while Ducky and Gibbs were discussing boat building. Ziva looked up when she heard her friend's voice. "Guess what?" Dr. Parker asked.

"What is it, Jill?" Ziva asked back. Everyone in the room turned to the doorway.

"I know I'm technically not supposed to be checking up on the girls and everything, but I was here with another patient who just had a little boy, and I asked about Allie and Giana," she explained. "And I learned that they are being moved to the regular nursery as we speak, ahead of schedule. They should be ready to come here, to your room, by 1300, but for now, you can go look through the window."

"That's fantastic!" Tony said, standing up off of Ziva's bed. He helped Ziva into her wheelchair, which she didn't really need now, but Tony had a fun time pushing it and she humored him.

The team walked down the familiar hallway to the nursery. They stopped in front of the big glass window and Ziva pointed to the right side. "There they are," she said softly. The team read over each little sign on the front of the cradle, the one closest to them reading "Giana Daniele DiNozzo, born 6/19, 4:26 PM", and the second one reading "Alexandra Grace DiNozzo, born 6/19, 4:19 PM".

"Oh!" Abby said, putting her hand over her mouth. "They're so cute! Good job, Ziva!" she said as she hugged her.

Tony pointed to himself. "Hey! I did half the work, you know!"

Abby turned around and hugged him as well, saying, "Well, more like a third of the work, but good job Tony!"

"Thank you."

Gibbs looked in at the girls. "They're beautiful," he said quietly.

"They are, aren't they, Jethro?" Ducky said, stepping closer for a better look.

"Oh, Timmy!" Abby squealed, throwing her arms around him. "I want one!"

Ziva's eyes widened, as did Tony's. They shared a look, smiling.

Gibbs looked at McGee, who rolled his eyes.

McGee whispered into Abby's ear so no one – at least that's what they thought – could hear him, "Me too."

Ziva smiled.

* * *

"Okay, now I _really_ want one," Abby said as she gently rocked Allie as she sat in the chair next to Ziva's bed. The baby was asleep, but Abby still talked to her. "You're so cute! Yes you are!" she said in her baby voice.

Gibbs stood next to Tony, holding Giana. "I think the last time I held a baby was Kelly, Tony," he said, rocking her slowly. She grabbed onto Gibbs' polo shirt sleeve, gently pulling at it. "That was a long time ago."

Although Tony had never met Shannon or Kelly and had only heard a few stories about them, he could imagine what it would be like to lose Ziva and the girls. He wiped a tear away, hoping his boss wouldn't see it. "Boss, I-"

"No, Tony, it's okay." He looked down at Giana, who yawned and nodded off to sleep. "McGee," he said. He nodded toward the sleeping baby. "You wanna hold her?"

"Sure, Boss," he said, standing up from the side of Ziva's bed. He carefully took Giana into his arms and began to quietly rock her.

After everyone had gotten a chance to hold each of the girls, Tony sat next to Ziva on the bed and Ducky gave him Allie. Abby handed Ziva Giana and told the family to get together. Tony leaned in and they both smiled at the camera that McGee had brought. After a few shots of the smiling family, Abby told them to just act natural.

Tony leaned down to kiss Ziva just as the camera flashed. McGee looked at the screen on the camera after he had taken the picture. It showed, below Tony and Ziva's kiss, each of the girls kicking there little feet inside their blankets and waving their little fists in excitement. "That's a good one," he said, holding up the camera to take another picture.

* * *

**A/N: Okay!!! Yayy they finally met the team!!! And awww you just gotta love McAbby tooo…**

**Please please PLEASE review!!! And maybe you'll make it into the hall of fame!!!**

**TALS REVIEW HALL OF FAME!!!!**

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	24. Welcome Home

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Welcome Home**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

Tony silently shut his car door and ran around his Mustang to open Ziva's door. He sweetly took her hand and helped her out of the seat before gently shutting the door behind her. He then opened the back door behind Ziva's door and reached in. He pulled a sleeping Giana in her car seat and handed her to his wife before walking around to the other side. He quietly opened the other door and took out Allie's car seat. Tony closed the door and locked the car before joining Ziva in front of the front door. Tony fumbled to unlock the door and then held it open for Ziva.

"Thank you, my love," she whispered. She carefully set down Gi's car seat on the bench next to the door and reached down to unbuckle her baby girl. She gently picked her baby up and held her against her shoulder.

Tony did the same and followed Ziva into the family room, sitting down on the couch. As he was sitting, he heard a little giggle. He looked down at Allie. She was sound asleep. He looked over at Ziva, who shook her head.

Tony handed Allie to Ziva and went into the kitchen to check out the noise. When he saw that the back door was open, he reached for his gun, and motioned to Ziva to stay put.

He turned the corner around the dining room and crashed right into the intruder – Abby.

"What the…Abby?" he said, rubbing his head and putting his gun away.

"Welcome home?" she said, blowing weakly into a party horn.

"What the heck are you doing here?"

"Well, me and Timmy were going to throw you and Ziva a party for, ya know, being parents, but then he forgot to get cake, so he left a couple of minutes before you got home to go get it…and then I was going to surprise you by myself, but then I saw the girls sleeping, so I didn't."

"Abby, you're lucky I didn't just shoot you."

"Yeah, I kinda thought of that when you crashed into me."

"Tony," Ziva whispered loudly from the other room. "What's going on in there?"

Tony grabbed Abby's hand and led her into the family room. He sighed and pointed to her, showing Ziva who their intruder was.

"Abby?" Ziva asked.

"Surprise!" Abby squealed.

Tony cringed. Ziva held her breath. They waited. Abby's covered her mouth with her hand, realizing what she'd just done. "Oh, Tony, Ziva, I'm-"

"Shh!" Tony and Ziva said together. They waited a moment…nothing. They exhaled, relieved that neither of the girls had woken up. Just then, the back door shut and McGee walked into the family room, holding a cake.

"Hey guys," he said loudly, not realizing the babies were sleeping.

Tony cringed again as both of the girls started to cry after being woken from their beauty sleep. "Nice goin', Probie," he said, moving to take Giana from Ziva.

"Oh," he said. "Oh, Tony, Ziva, I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

"It is okay, Tim," Ziva said, standing up and gently rocking Allie. "You had no way of knowing they were asleep."

The four agents worked together to quiet the girls down before McGee went into the kitchen to cut the cake and Ziva sat down on the couch to nurse Allie.

Abby, Tony, and McGee sat in the kitchen eating their cake, giving Ziva some privacy. Abby gently rocked Giana, cooing over her and letting her play with her pigtails.

"So, Tony," McGee said after swallowing a piece of cake. "How's parenthood?"

"Heh heh," Tony laughed. "The diaper changing, not so good. Everything else? Pretty amazing. It's weird, now that they're finally here and all. Tomorrow will be their one-week-old birthday, but now it feels like they've been here for hours."

"Sounds like it's awesome," McGee said softly. He nodded towards Abby. "How do you think Abby would be as a mom?"

"You tryin' to tell me something, Probie?"

"Huh? Oh, no…never mind."

"Okay…" Tony said, letting it go but not really forgetting about it.

* * *

Giana looked up at the strange person holding her. She felt strange. This big person was _not_ her mommy, and that made her confused. Gi reached up to grab for the weird thing dangling down from the big person's head. Where was her sister? Where was her mommy? Where was Daddy? She could hear his voice in the background, but she wanted to see him. This big person wasn't her Mommy or Daddy, but she still felt safe. This person was still comfy, and she was gentle too. She looked up as the big person made funny noises at her. _What? Is she crazy?_, she thought. _MOMMY is not crazy_. But Giana liked crazy – it was different. This new big person…she was different.

"Tony," Giana heard. Mommy! "You can come in now, if you want."

She heard footsteps coming towards her, and then she was being taken from the Different Big Person. She looked up into Tony's eyes. Daddy!

* * *

Tony smiled at his daughter's sudden happy expression as he took her from Abby. "Hi, my sweet girl!" he cooed. "Did you have a good time with Abby?" He sat down on the couch next to Ziva, who was burping Allie.

Allie let out a little burp. "Oh!" Ziva said. Abby giggled as she sat next to her friend. When Ziva was done, Abby took the baby from her.

* * *

Allie looked up at the person who her Mommy had just handed her to. Who was this person? She kind of smelled like her sister, so it was comforting. Allie immediately felt safe and she snuggled into the person's arms. She looked up with a calm expression on her face, taking in her surroundings. "She's so calm," the big person said, bouncing Allie up and down gently. "She's like a little Buddha baby. Look at her, Tony. She's all bunched up, so it looks like she's got a fat little tummy, and she's just really…calm." Buddha baby? What the heck was _that _supposed to mean? Allie made a face as the big person cooed "Buddha baby" to her over and over again. Allie yawned – she was tired after all this attention. Then the another big person and her Daddy came over and started to make funny noises and faces, which was totally creeping her out. The big person rocked her back and forth and cooed over and over. _This is gonna take some getting used to_, Allie thought as she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I just want to say, I'M SORRY! I feel so bad for not writing in so long! I've been super busy with getting ready for school softball tryouts (they start tomorrow, wish me luck! ****) and tons of stupid homework!**

**So anyways, I apologize! Please forgive me and keep reading!!! (Pretty please???)**

**Please review as well! I promise I'll try and update ASAP (which basically means, as soon as I have some free time…which basically means, ASAP is gonna take a while. Haha sorry…)**

**Anyways…please tell me your fave parts and some ideas for upcoming chapters! I have some big ideas, but I need little things, too!**

**Review!! Just hit the button! It takes 10 seconds!!!**


	25. What I Like About You

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: What I Like About You**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

"Hey, Probie," Tony said, rolling out from under the car. "Toss me a beer." Tony pulled himself up and flipped over the dolly so he wouldn't slip on it. He looked to McGee, who was staring out the window. "Probie!"

"Huh?" was Tim's response as he snapped out of his daydream.

"What's the matter with you?" Tony stepped around him and grabbed a beer from the mini-fridge. He popped of the top and took a swig, waiting for McGee's answer.

"Oh," he replied, spinning around on the rusty barstool. "Nothing."

"You sure?" Tony said, making a face. "'Cuz you're McDaydreamin' over there, and not paying any attention to _moi_." He took another sip. "You've been like this all morning, man."

"Sorry, Tony," McGee said, grabbing himself a beer. "It's just…"

"Continue…"

"…Abby and I had a fight last night, and now she won't talk to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Probie," Tony said, pulling up a chair. "What about?"

Tim took a deep breath before speaking. "You see, last night, she made this pasta stuff, which was pretty good. I told her I liked it, but that I liked Ziva's better."

"Ohhh….bad idea, Probie."

"Yeah. No kidding. Anyways, she got all defensive, saying how she had cooked a nice meal for me and that I couldn't go saying that Ziva's a better cook."  
"Well, Ziva _is_ a better cook, McGee."

"Not helping, Tony. So now she's convinced that I like Ziva better than her, and that I don't love her anymore."

"Wow. She's really overreacting. That's not like her at all…"

"I know, and that's what's bugging me!" Tim shook his head. "Now she's not talking to me."

"Well, she's spending the day with Ziva, right? Maybe my ninja can convince her that you made a mistake and that she should apologize for overreacting." Tony finished his beer and set it on the table. "But you gotta apologize too, McGee."

"You're right," he answered, reassured. "Ziva's pretty good at stuff like that. At least with Abby." He laughed, and Tony joined him.

* * *

"So what happened, Abby?" Ziva asked, laying Giana down in the Pack-n'-Play Abby had bought for whenever the girls came to her apartment. Abby had said that she and McGee had fought, and how she was mad at him.

After Abby explained the whole Ziva's-pasta-is-better scene, Ziva had something to tell her. "Abby, do you think maybe you're overreacting a little?"

Abby took a minute to think about it. "Am I?" she asked quietly. Ziva nodded slightly.

"McGee knows he messed up, Abby, and it is probably making him more nervous without you talking to him."

"Ugh!" Abby exclaimed, showing her frustration with herself. "You're right. Pasta? Really?"

Ziva laughed. "It is okay, Abby. Tony and I once had an argument over how to fold pants."

Abby widened her eyes, laughing. "Really?"

Ziva smiled and laughed again. "Really." Happy that she had made Abby feel better, Ziva settled back into the couch.

"I think I'm gonna call Timmy and tell him I'm sorry," Abby said, getting up to grab the phone.

"And I think that is a _great_ idea," Ziva answered, relaxing for only a second before she heard one of the babies start to cry. "This… not so great," she said, getting up to grab Allie. Abby laughed as her exhausted friend made a face and tried to calm her baby.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I'm not going to apologize, as it is a sign of weakness, but I would like to invite everyone to give me a virtual Gibbs-slap because I've been so bad about updating!!!**

**Please forgive me! *gets down on knees***

**Haha so I seriously have NO spare time, with three softball teams, school, and my crazy schedule of everything else…**

**So if it takes me a while to update again, I'm gonna have a super-de-duper sore head from all the Gibbs-slaps I'm going to get. **

**So I am SOOO excited for the upcoming chapters!!! Probably chapter 28 will be the big one…but I'm not promising anything!!!**

**And just found out that the NCIS Season 7 finale is MAY 25****TH****!!!! THAT'S ONE MONTH FROM NEXT SUNDAY!!!! AHHHH!!!! Sorry for spazzing. Please review my story, if you don't already hate me for not updating like I promised!**


	26. So Small

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: So Small**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

* * *

It was three days after Tony and Ziva had spoken with McGee and Abby, respectively, about the argument about pasta. Tony and Ziva had spent the rest of the weekend playing/cuddling with their girls, and after Tony had gone back to work, Ziva stayed home to take care of her daughters.

Tony skipped up the steps of his and Ziva's cozy little house and opened up the screen door. Being how it was late July, and very hot out, he immediately dashed up the stairs to change out of his suit and into some shorts and a t-shirt.

"Zi? You here?" he whispered as he crept up the stairs, being careful not to wake the girls incase they were asleep.

"In the bedroom," she whispered back, and Tony followed the sound of her voice.

He entered the master suite quietly and went to stand next to Ziva in front of the two matching bassinets. Unable to stand the heat, he un-tucked his shirt and unbuttoned it all the way before grabbing Ziva around the waist and kissing her forehead.

"Hey," he whispered softly. "What'd I miss?"

"They slept. Ate. Cried. Cuddled," she explained, leaning into him. "The usual."

"Wish I was here instead of work."

"Did Gibbs give you a hard time today?"

"Nah. I just like you guys better," he said, smiling his priceless smile.

Ziva smiled and looked up at him. "Tony?" she asked.

"Yes, Ziva?"

"I was thinking…" she started.

"Well good. Thinking is normal."

She ignored his joke and continued. "Think of all we have been through Tony. Somalia, my father, and the day you got shot while proposing to me…"

Tony subconsciously traced the outline of his scars on his exposed stomach. "You got shot too, you know."

"True," she said, covering the scar on her arm with her hand, "but not as bad as you did."

"And then when I was finally better, you married me," he paused, beaming. "And then the girls were born premature after you went into labor at Hoffman's Furniture Warehouse…"

Ziva looked back at the babies, sound asleep in their bassinets. "And now we have Giana, and we have Alexandra. Our two beautiful baby girls, perfectly healthy."

"All because I said 'I love you' that day in the men's room." He laughed. "And the rest…is history."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so just a cute little chapter that I've wanted to write for a while…can't wait for the next chapter! (remember when I said be ready for chapter 28? Just kidding! Be ready for CHAPTER 27!!!)**

**And has anyone ever realized how hard it is to type when two of your fingers are taped together? My friend stepped on my hand yesterday with her cleats on and now my finger is all black and blue! Yay! *looks sarcastic***

**Anyways…I'll try and update ASAP!!! THANKS FOR STICKIN' WITH ME!**

**Oh, and did everyone hear that the NEXT FIVE TUESDAYS ARE NEW NCIS EPISODES??? FIVE NEW ONES IN A ROW!!! IS THAT A RECORD???**


	27. Stay With Me, Part 1

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Stay With Me, Part 1**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_She ignored his joke and continued. "Think of all we have been through Tony. Somalia, my father, and the day you got shot while proposing to me…"_

_ Tony subconsciously traced the outline of his scars on his exposed stomach. "You got shot too, you know."_

_ "True," she said, covering the scar on her arm with her hand, "but not as bad as you did."_

_ "And then when I was finally better, you married me," he paused, beaming. "And then the girls were born premature after you went into labor at Hoffman's Furniture Warehouse…"_

_ Ziva looked back at the babies, sound asleep in their bassinets. "And now we have Giana, and we have Alexandra. Our two beautiful baby girls, perfectly healthy."_

_ "All because I said 'I love you' that day in the men's room." He laughed. "And the rest…is history."_

"I'm tellin' ya, Probie," Tony said, easing the big NCIS van to a stop. "Being a dad is great, but changing diapers and cleaning up spit-up? Not so great."

McGee just shook his head and laughed quietly as he opened up the trunk of the van.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said, already walking towards the crime scene, "quit complaining and get to work before I give you a _real_ reason to complain."

"Getting to work, Boss," he said hastily, grimacing. He quickly grabbed his equipment, almost running McGee over before he ran to catch up with Gibbs.

"Name, McGee," Gibbs said, stepping over the legs of the body to give Ducky more room.

McGee placed the dead man's finger on his new finger print scanner that he was so proud of. "Commander John Gellar," he said, taking off the finger. "Recently divorced, no kids. Ex-wife lives--" Tim stopped, interrupted by a sudden barking noise.

It sounded nearby. Tony put down his camera on top of his bag and looked around him. The team was surrounded by miles of freshly-mown grass on three sides, and on the fourth side was the Potomac River. Tony saw nothing that could be making the strange noise. He turned back to his back pack when he heard the bark again – it sounded scared, in pain.

"Where the hell is the dog?" Tony said to no one in particular, standing up again. He walked closer to the ledge over the river. _Maybe it's on the other side_, he thought.

But when he looked to the opposite side of the raging river, he saw nothing – just more grass. What he saw next terrified him: there wasn't anything on the other side of the water – it was _in_ the water.

"Boss!" he yelled. "There's a dog…in the water!"

"What?" Gibbs yelled back. It was hard to hear anything over the sound of the roaring water.

"There's a DOG in the WATER!"

"Dogs can SWIM, DiNozzo!"

Tony turned back to face the river. No dog. Had he imagined it? Then, he spotted the little puppy – right before it went back under again. It came back up a second later, coughing up blood.

Tony knew what he had to do. "Apparently this one can't, Boss!" he yelled, taking off his shoes and jacket. He looked back once, and then dove into the water below.

"Tony!" Gibbs shouted. He ran the 100-or-so feet to ledge, with McGee, Ducky, and Jimmy quickly following.

Tony pushed himself above water, gasping for air. The water was rougher than he thought it would be. He heard shouting from up above him through his water-logged ears, but he ignored the voices, searching for the dog. Suddenly, he spotted it, about fifteen yards away.

He quickly swam the distance and scooped up the tiny puppy into his strong but tired arms. He turned back to swim to the ledge, fighting against the strong current.

He was getting closer, closer.

He struggled to hold the puppy up as he reached for the wall. He reached for a vine growing on the wall, but his hand fell inches too short. He could hear his team calling his name.

He was just reaching for the wall again, when suddenly a huge roar came from behind him and launched him forward in the water. Tony took a quick breath before being shoved underwater by the wave.

Then, everything went black.


	28. Stay With Me, Part 2

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Stay With Me, Part 2**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T (well more like K++ but that doesn't exist)**

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_ He quickly swam the distance and scooped up the tiny puppy into his strong but tired arms. He turned back to swim to the ledge, fighting against the strong current._

_ He was getting closer, closer._

_ He struggled to hold the puppy up as he reached for the wall. He reached for a vine growing on the wall, but his hand fell inches too short. He could hear his team calling his name. _

_ He was just reaching for the wall again, when suddenly a huge roar came from behind him and launched him forward in the water. Tony took a quick breath before being shoved underwater by the wave._

_ Then, everything went black._

"Breath, DiNozzo, BREATHE!" Gibbs shouted at his senior agent. "Dammit, Tony! I am not going to let you die and leave Ziva and two baby girls all alone." He continued to do CPR while McGee ran off to meet the paramedics that had just arrived.

"Paramedics are here, Boss," McGee said, sprinting back towards the ledge over the river.

"We got it, Sir," a paramedic said to Gibbs, noticing how distraught he was.

Gibbs let them take over and stood up to get out of their way. He walked away to collect himself and sat down on a nearby rock to call Ziva.

He pulled out his water-logged cell phone and threw it on the ground when it wouldn't work. He put his head in his hands and tried to calm down.

Noticing Gibbs' dilemma, Ducky silently walked over to him and held out his own phone. "He'll be okay, Jethro," he said softly.

"Try telling Ziva that, Duck," he whispered, pressing the numbers of Tony and Ziva's home phone. He held the phone up to his ear and waited.

_Unconsciousness is easy. It is relaxing. It is peaceful, kind, gentle. Except when you have someone trying to crush your ribs when they press down on your chest. There was so much pressure, building up in his chest and head and everywhere. He thought about the water, the dog, and the rocks. The dog. Wait a second. The dog! Where was the puppy he had rescued? Or not rescued? What exactly had happened after the lights went out? _

_What would happen to his family if he died? He couldn't leave Ziva. He couldn't leave his baby girls. Three months old, and if he died, they would never have a father. He couldn't die. He sort of remembered that being shouted at him, but he wasn't sure who had done it._

_He felt another extra strong push on his chest, and then someone was putting their mouth on his, pushing air into his lungs. What was this? The only person who was supposed to have _their _lips on _his_ mouth was Ziva. And Ziva was not here. Ziva was at home, with his baby girls. He thought of Allie and Giana, and how much he loved them. How much he loved Ziva. He would do anything for any of them, and that included not dying. _

_He felt more pushes, and then he suddenly started to cough uncontrollably. His eyes flew open._

"Ducky?" Ziva asked, confused as to why the doctor would be calling her during the work day.

"No, Zivers It's Gibbs."

She could tell by his tone of voice that something was not right. "Gibbs? What is wrong? What happened?"

"It's…" He knew she would freak as soon as he told her. "I need you to meet us at the hospital. Call Abby and have her pick you up."

"The hospital?" Her voice got slightly higher. "Gibbs. What happened?" She took a deep breath. "Who?"

Silence.  
"Oh, dear God," Ziva whispered. She knew. "Tony."

He had no choice now but to tell her everything he knew. "He was in the water, hit his head, I think," Gibbs said before he paused. "We pulled him out, started CPR…the medics are with him now." He heard no answer. "Ziva? You there?"

"Yes, Gibbs. I am here." He could tell she was struggling not to cry. "What hospital? Monroe University?" she asked. She continued, not waiting for an answer. "Good. That is a good hospital. I just have to get the girls ready and I'll call Abby and then-"

Gibbs interrupted her rambling. "Ziva."

"What was he doing in the water?" She tried to stay calm.

"Listen, Ziva," he said softly. "I'll tell you everything later. Now, you need to be strong for Tony and the girls. He's going to be okay, Zivers."

He heard her sniffle. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll meet you there."

_Click._

**A/N: okay, I know it's exciting (at least I hope it is), so I'll try and update ASAP!!!!**

** But I got two chapters tonight! Yay me!**


	29. Stay With Me, Part 3

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Stay With Me, Part 3**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

"_Oh, dear God," Ziva whispered. She knew. "Tony." _

_ He had no choice now but to tell her everything he knew. "He was in the water, hit his head, I think," Gibbs said before he paused. "We pulled him out, started CPR…the medics are with him now." He heard no answer. "Ziva? You there?"_

_ "Yes, Gibbs. I am here." He could tell she was struggling not to cry. "What hospital? Monroe University?" she asked. She continued, not waiting for an answer. "Good. That is a good hospital. I just have to get the girls ready and I'll call Abby and then-"_

_ Gibbs interrupted her rambling. "Ziva."_

_ "What was he doing in the water?" She tried to stay calm._

_ "Listen, Ziva," he said softly. "I'll tell you everything later. Now, you need to be strong for Tony and the girls. He's going to be okay, Zivers." _

_ He heard her sniffle. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll meet you there."_

_ Click._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Status of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," Gibbs said calmly to the receptionist behind the desk. Ziva had wanted to ask, but Gibbs knew that Ziva would have done something life-threatening to the woman if she hadn't told her anything.

He glanced back at his team: Ziva sat holding Allie, absent-mindedly rocking her in her arms. She stared at the wall, occasionally bending down to kiss her baby on the head, before going back to slowly rocking, as if she was in a trance.

Ziva wasn't one to show emotion, especially to people other than himself and Tony, but today she was especially distressed. Gibbs knew why she was so upset: not only had Tony slipped back into unconsciousness about an hour before, but today was also their anniversary.

Gibbs had been planning on giving Tony the night off so he could take Ziva to dinner, and Abby and McGee were planning on baby-sitting, but that certainly wasn't going to happen now.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" the receptionist asked slowly.

He snapped back to reality. "Huh?"

"I have Agent DiNozzo's status," she explained. "It says here that he's semi-conscious and on oxygen. The doctors should be here soon to tell us more."

Gibbs nodded his thanks and went to back to his team. He sat next to Ziva, across from Abby, McGee, and Ducky. He smiled at the sight of Ducky holding Giana, letting her play with his bowtie. He watched her amazed expression as Ducky wiggled the colorful bowtie back and forth in front of her. Her eyes followed it, wide with excitement. She reached up for it, her little fingers wrapping around Ducky's big hands.

Gibbs looked over to Ziva. She was no longer staring at the wall, but in the sleeping baby she held in her arms. Gibbs glanced down at Allie. She looked so peaceful, her little lips puckering like only a baby's could. Her actions so different from her sister's, yet very much the same: they were oblivious to the pain everyone, especially their mother, was going through, not knowing if Tony would be okay or not. Gibbs knew that, in their happy little worlds, nothing could or should go wrong.

Gibbs looked up to see Tony's doctor waling towards them. He stood up to greet him, as did everyone else.

"Doctor Hammond," Ziva said, shifting Allie to a more comfortable position. "How is Tony?"

Dr. Hammond took a deep breath before beginning. "He is fully conscious now, which is a good sign," he said. "He has a concussion from when he hit the wall, and was knocked unconscious. Then, he was under water long enough to stoop breathing for a couple of minutes." He paused, letting them all take it in. "Anyways, he's stable now. He says he wants to see his girls." He smiled.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "How long will he have to stay here?" Abby asked.

"We'll have to wait until all of his tests come back until we can say, but he can most likely go home the day after tomorrow. He should be back to work by next week or so." He stopped, eyeing the number of people who wanted to go see Tony. "He can only have two visitors now though, not including the babies."

Ziva knew that Tony would want to know exactly what happened from Gibbs, so she asked Ducky to hand Giana over to the senior agent. After Dr. Hammond had assured Abby that she could see Tony ASAP, they left to go to his room.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: okay, so for those of you who are worrying about the puppy: don't! I will get to the puppy! Relax! He doesn't die!**

**And in addition—I'm sure other writers know how this feels, but if you don't write, I gotta tell you that a good, long, supportive review feels so good! So keep 'em comin!**

**And honestly, if you read my story, you have NO REASON not to review. Even if you're not a member, you can still leave an anonymous review! (story/author alerts and fave story/author notices feel good too****)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. to describe Ziva being all zoned out and all, think of her when she thinks Tony is dead in "Bury Your Dead".**


	30. Surprise Visitor

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Surprise Visitor**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_ "We'll have to wait until all of his tests come back until we can say, but he can most likely go home the day after tomorrow. He should be back to work by next week or so." He stopped, eyeing the number of people who wanted to go see Tony. "He can only have two visitors now though, not including the babies."_

_ Ziva knew that Tony would want to know exactly what happened from Gibbs, so she asked Ducky to hand Giana over to the senior agent. After Dr. Hammond had assured Abby that she could see Tony ASAP, they left to go to his room._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

As they walked down the stark-white hallway, Dr. Hammond began to speak. "Now, he's still very tired, so try not to get him too excited about anything," he said, opening the door into room 105.

Ziva and Gibbs followed Dr. Hammond through the threshold, excited to see Tony. Dr. Hammond held out his hand, motioning for Ziva to go to her husband.

"Tony," she gasped as she half-ran to his side, being careful not to jostle Allie, who was now awake.

He responded with a tired, "Hey, Honey."

"I was…so worried about you," she whispered into his ear as she hugged him tightly. She wanted so much to kiss him right then and there, but she held back, not wanting to get…carried away…in front of Gibbs.

When she pulled back, wiping tears from her eyes, Tony motioned for her to hand Allie to him. She did, and looked up to see Gibbs smiling proudly.

"How ya doin' DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, giving Giana to her mother.

"Well, I've been better, Boss," he began, "but the drugs are certainly helping the lump on my head." He lifted up Allie and made a face at her, making her laugh. "What even happened, Boss?"

Gibbs reached over and grabbed a chair, straddling it backwards. "When you jumped in, you got caught in the rapids or something. Then, after you grabbed the puppy that you went in to grab, a huge wave came over you and pushed you into the concrete wall on the riverbank."

"And you jumped in to save me?"

"McGee, Palmer, and I all went in. Palmer grabbed the dog while McGee and I grabbed you. You were knocked out pretty good."

"Dog?" Ziva asked. "You went in after a dog?"

"Yep," Tony said proudly. "Say, Boss, what happened to the dog?"

"Well, Palmer helped him out, got him to the animal hospital," Gibbs explained. "He thinks he'll be okay."

"You mean Tony actually saved him?"

"Well don't sound so surprised, Sweetcheeks," Tony said, staring at his baby girl intently, making another funny face. "Your Hubby here is a hero."

"I…did not say anything, Tony," Ziva said, confused. She turned to face the door, as did Gibbs and Dr. Hammond, who had been listening in on the story. Ziva was shocked at what she saw.

"Well then who-" Tony started, looking up towards the door. "Whoa," was all he could say as he saw the person leaning against the side of the door frame.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: DUHN DUHN DUHNNNNN…who could it be? Its really an easy question, if you think about it….let me know what you think in a review!**

**Anyways, you're probably all surprised to see I'm still alive, as this is the first time I've updated in FOREVER.**

**So yeah, sorry! I've been soooo busy with studying for finals, and my freshman softball season just ended (we finished 12-3!), and my travel season starts tomorrow, so I'll be super busy. I PROMISE the first free moment I get will be the moment I update…just hang in there!**

**Thanks for stickin' with me! **

**-tiva_mcabby5**

**P.S. ***SemperFiNCIS- if you are reading this, please let me know! We really miss you here at FanFiction! Please come back!*****


	31. Nice to See You Too

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Nice to See You Too**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, but the story is mine.**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_ "You mean Tony actually saved him?"_

_ "Well don't sound so surprised, Sweetcheeks," Tony said, staring at his baby girl intently, making another funny face. "Your Hubby here is a hero."_

_ "I…did not say anything, Tony," Ziva said, confused. She turned to face the door, as did Gibbs and Dr. Hammond, who had been listening in on the story. Ziva was shocked at what she saw._

_ "Well then who-" Tony started, looking up towards the door. "Whoa," was all he could say as he saw the person leaning against the side of the door frame._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_Three hours earlier…_

"Doctor, Mr. Harkin's test results came back," the nurse said, handing the woman a clip board with papers carefully clipped under it.

"Thank you, Lisa," she answered. "I'm going to go see him right now." She grabbed two other folders and went to make her rounds in the ICU wing. It was going to be hard telling the semi-conscious Mr. Harkin that the car accident he had been in had killed his girlfriend, but he had to know.

She punched the UP button on the wall next to the elevator. When the doors finally slid open, she was nearly trampled by a team of nurses and doctors running into the emergency wing. She tried to avoid a major collision, but one doctor brushing by her accidentally knocked the clipboard out of her hand.

"Oh, Dr. Stevens!" the man said. "I'm sorry." He quickly picked up the clipboard and put in back in her arms. "Near-drowning victim on his way. Got a head injury too. Apparently it's a federal agent or something." He quickly nodded his apology again and rushed after the other doctors.

Her thoughts immediately shifted to a federal agent she had known. She quickly shook away the thought. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of federal agents in the D.C. area. There was no way it could be the one she was thinking of.

_Two hours, 50 minutes later…_

"Hey, um, Lisa?" Dr. Stevens asked.

"Yes, doctor?" she responded quickly.

"Any news on that federal agent that came in with a head injury?" She paused. "Got a name?"

Lisa typed into the keyboard and a few seconds later a window popped up. As soon as Dr. Stevens saw the name and room number, she gasped. It _was_ him. It had been nearly three years since she had seen him last, but now he was here, in her hospital. She raced away to the elevator without ever thanking Lisa.

_Present time…_

"Jeanne?" Tony asked, completely shocked. He gently brought Allie down until she was resting on his lap.

"Don't seem so shocked to see me, Tony," she said. She didn't seem mad...it was more like amazed at what she saw in front of her. "You _are_ in the hospital I work in."

"Um, hi," Tony said cautiously, bringing Allie closer to him. This was way too weird. He knew Ziva was uncomfortable just by looking at the way she was protectively holding Giana, so he figured he might as well be careful as well.

Jeanne took a step in through the threshold. Gibbs stood up and moved in front of her. "Can we help you, _Miss Benoit_?" he asked.

"Actually, _Agent Gibbs_, it's Stevens now." She held her left hand up in front of her face, revealing a huge diamond ring.

Gibbs sighed, showing how much he really didn't care. This woman had accused his senior agent of murder, along with numerous other things. "Congratulations," he said sarcastically. "Now, what do you want?"

"To talk to Tony." She glanced at Dr. Hammond, who was staying silent in the corner, and Ziva, who was giving her the death glare. "Alone."

Gibbs chuckled. "Not gonna happen."

"Why not? You think I'm going to hurt him?" she challenged boldly. "I'm not armed, Agent Gibbs."

"Maybe not, but you can still put poison in my IV or something!" Tony said; worried he was going to be left alone with the woman he had thought he once loved.

Ziva had had enough. "Gibbs?" she stood up and walked over to the door, Giana sleeping against her chest. Jeanne took notice of the baby but said nothing. She also mentally noted the baby Tony was holding. "I do not believe she will hurt Tony," Ziva said. She grabbed Jeanne's hand as she left the room, pressing her thumb to the middle of the back of the doctor's hand. Jeanne froze before shutting her eyes tightly in pain. Ziva leaned in and whispered, "If you do _anything _to him, I _will_ kill you."

Jeanne knew she meant it and nodded slowly, rubbing her hand after Ziva had let go of it.

Ziva looked back at Tony once more, mouthed "Don't be stupid," and left. Gibbs nodded towards the door for Dr. Hammond to leave (he was very eager to), then walked over to Tony and took Allie from him. He turned to Jeanne. "You have twenty minutes," he said. "Any longer and I'll come back with my gun."

And with that, Tony was all alone. Alone with the one woman who he had never wanted to see again.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: So, for all of you who guessed Jeanne, you deserve a cookie. *runs downstairs to get cookie* **

**I got a ton of reviews with all different guesses: Jenny – as much as I miss her, not possible. She's dead…M. Allison Hart – I'm not bringing her into this story. I HATE HER. **

**Aaannnyyywayys…thank you all so much for reviewing and story alerting and favorite authoring and stuff!**

**Be sure to check out my profile! I have a poll up about what you guys want to happen in future chapters, so vote! And I change the poll pretty often, so stop by whenever you can!**

**-Tivamcabby5**


	32. Talk

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Talk**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS (*sob*) or any of its characters, but Allie and Giana are mine. (well, actually, they're Tony and Ziva's…but who's being technical?)**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_ Ziva had had enough. "Gibbs?" she stood up and walked over to the door, Giana sleeping against her chest. Jeanne took notice of the baby but said nothing. She also mentally noted the baby Tony was holding. "I do not believe she will hurt Tony," Ziva said. She grabbed Jeanne's hand as she left the room, pressing her thumb to the middle of the back of the doctor's hand. Jeanne froze before shutting her eyes tightly in pain. Ziva leaned in and whispered, "If you do anything to him, I will kill you."_

_ Jeanne knew she meant it and nodded slowly, rubbing her hand after Ziva had let go of it. _

_ Ziva looked back at Tony once more, mouthed "Don't be stupid," and left. Gibbs nodded towards the door for Dr. Hammond to leave (he was very eager to), then walked over to Tony and took Allie from him. He turned to Jeanne. "You have twenty minutes," he said. "Any longer and I'll come back with my gun."_

_ And with that, Tony was all alone. Alone with the one woman who he had never wanted to see again._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

As soon as Gibbs walked into the stark white hallway with Allie, Ziva motioned for him to come to her quickly.

"I am not leaving him alone here with her, Gibbs," she whispered harshly as soon as he reached her. She shifted the baby to her other hip. "Something feels _off_."

"I know," he answered. Something was wrong with the fact that Jeanne, who supposedly hated Tony, had come to visit him in the hospital. Sure, she did work there, but still. Call it a gut feeling.

"What do we do?" Ziva asked, trying to appear as if she was having a casual conversation to the strangers around her.

"Call Abby. Have her, Ducky, and McGee come up. Abs and Duck can take the girls and go back downstairs, and McGee can go look on in the security room."

"And you and I stand outside the door?" Gibbs nodded. Ziva reached for her phone, muttering, "I do hope we are over-reacting. I do not feel like exposing the girls to violence this early."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"So, are you planning on cutting off my oxygen? Or something else?" Tony asked. He wasn't scared – he knew his team wouldn't be far away if he needed them.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Tony," Jeanne said, sitting in Ziva's chair. "I wouldn't risk my job or my family for that."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because I understand now, Tony," she answered, pausing. "I understand why you did what you did."

"And which 'what' would that be?" he quipped. "I have done a lot of 'whats', you know."

She ignored his feeble attempt at humor. "You were on assignment; undercover. To get information about my father."

"Yes."

"You were ordered to fall in love with me?"

"No. Well, sort-of."

"Sort-of?"  
_Oh, God. Why does this have to be happening now? _Tony thought. _Couldn't this have waited til when I'm _not _on pain meds?_ "Look, this stuff is probably still classified or something," Tony said lamely, avoiding the question.

"Please," she laughed. "I'm not stupid, Tony."

He took a deep breath. "My director, well former director-"

"Former?"

"She died a couple of years ago," Tony whispered, sadly remembering back to when he and Ziva had found Jenny lying on the floor.

"Wow. I'm sorry," Jeanne said, truly meaning it, too.

"Anyways, Jenny already told you what my assignment was."

"I want to hear it from you."

Tony hesitated at first, then dove headfirst into what had been going on throughout that entire op. He explained how he felt he had been forced into loving Jeanne, and had made himself think he had feelings for her to get the job done. Eventually, he moved on to his life after the break-up.

"Afterwards, things were," he paused, thinking of the right word, "stressed…between Ziva and I. I threw my self into every opportunity I was given to get a date, trying to forget what happened. I went on TONS of dates, had a couple of meaningless, stupid one-night-stands, never even learning the girl's last name. Ziva would get mad at me for distracting her, but now, I bet she was just jealous." He smiled. "On those dates, I always found myself thinking of Ziva."

Jeanne rested her chin in her hands. She looked up at the clock. She still had eight minutes. "What made you realize you loved her?"

"Hearing she was dead."

Jeanne straightened back up. "Tony," she whispered, "that's awful." She paused, confused. "But, I just saw-"

"She's wasn't dead," he interrupted. "She was in a terrorist camp in Somalia." He stopped, the horrible memory washing over him. "We…we saved her, got her back here."

Jeanne nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"We fell in love, got shot when I was proposing…"

"She shot you?" Jeanne gasped.

"What? Oh, no! No. Never mind. Anyways, we married a year ago. Today is our anniversary."

Jeanne smiled, any hostility she had towards him now gone after hearing his story. "The two babies I saw?"

"Ziva got pregnant on our honeymoon. We wanted to wait, but…" Tony smiled, as did Jeanne. "They are about three and a half months old, now. Their names are Alexandra, who we call Allie, and Giana."

"Pretty. They're beautiful children, Tony."

He nodded. "We could've lost 'em too. They were born about a month premature. Turns out they were just a little small, totally healthy."

Jeanne looked up at the clock again. _Crap_, she thought.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, reading the look on her face.

"I have thirty seconds to leave or your boss will come back and shoot me."

Tony nodded. "Hey, Jeanne."

"Yes?"

"It…it was nice talking to you. Ya know, after you convinced me you weren't here to kill me." He smiled. "Bye."

She laughed and went to leave. "Maybe, we could, you know, talk again sometime." Tony nodded. "Bye," she said.

As Jeanne walked out into the hallway, she braced herself for what was to come. She held up her hands, already surrendering so Ziva or Gibbs wouldn't shoot her.

"Ah, right on time," Gibbs said, looking down at his watch.

"He's perfectly fine!" Jeanne said defensively, flinching away from Ziva, who still held her gun up. "Tony? You're fine, right?" she called over her shoulder.

"Ziva! I'm fine! You can put the gun down, Sweet Cheeks. I don't think Allie and Giana would like to visit their mommy in prison!"

Ziva sighed and holstered her gun.

Gibbs spoke up before Ziva killed Jeanne using her hands. "Um, Doctor? I'm sure you have work to do, yes?"

"Yes, I do. Now if you'll excuse me." Ziva and Gibbs nodded, watching the doctor walk away.

Ziva thought she saw the doctor wipe away something from her face, but she forgot about it and went in to join her husband.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: Please don't hurt me! I know it's been, like FOREVER since I've updated, but I've been so busy! I've had softball tournaments every weekend, other softball games or practices almost every night, and I watch my brothers during the day. I know you probably all don't care, but that's my lame excuse.**

**Moving on…thank you soooo much for every review I've gotten! At this time, we're at 235 reviews! I love you guys! Sorry, that was weird.**

**Still, I'm suffering from NCIS withdrawal while waiting for September 21, because that is when the premiere is! Ahh!**

**Also, if anyone is confused about how I'm suddenly making Jeanne so nice when I hate her, I'll explain that in next chapter's A/N.**

**Anyways, please check out my profile for the poll I have up. I promise I'm not trying to be creepy when I ask how old my readers are. Pinky swear. And I have also put up a link for a picture that looks like Allie and Giana at 3 ½ months old. They look more like Tony now (with the skin color and hair) but they'll probably become more like Ziva later.**

**-tivamcabby5**


	33. Family Time

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Family Time**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. I do not own NCIS (*sob*) or any of its characters, but Allie and Giana are mine. (well, actually, they're Tony and Ziva's…but who's being technical?)**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_ "He's perfectly fine!" Jeanne said defensively, flinching away from Ziva, who still held her gun up. "Tony? You're fine, right?" she called over her shoulder. _

_ "Ziva! I'm fine! You can put the gun down, Sweet Cheeks. I don't think Allie and Giana would like to visit their mommy in prison!"_

_ Ziva sighed and holstered her gun. _

_ Gibbs spoke up before Ziva killed Jeanne using her hands. "Um, Doctor? I'm sure you have work to do, yes?"_

_ "Yes, I do. Now if you'll excuse me." Ziva and Gibbs nodded, watching the doctor walk away._

_ Ziva thought she saw the doctor wipe away something from her face, but she forgot about it and went in to join her husband._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Tony froze as he heard a crash coming from the living room. Now back home and fully recovered, Gibbs had given he and Ziva a few days off to spend with their family.

Tony put down his spoonful of cereal and squeaked his chair against the new kitchen floor tiling as he pushed it backwards. Already having a pretty good idea of what, or who, had made the noise, Tony cautiously rounded the corner to see what had been broken this time.

"Aw, come on, Mac!" Tony whispered harshly, trying not to wake the sleeping babies upstairs. "What're you doin', man?"

Mac looked up at him as if to say, "Don't look at me, buddy. That lamp pushed _itself _over."

Tony bent down to retrieve the lamp and then scooped up the puppy into his arms. Then seeing what the dog was after, he reached behind the lamp and grabbed a tennis ball, bouncing it across the room before putting the anxious black lab back on his feet.

"Damn dog," Tony muttered as he went back to eat his now-soggy Cap'n Crunch and drink his cold coffee.

McGee had thought of the name. Mac, short for Potomac, the river in which the puppy had been found and well, rescued from. Tony wasn't usually one to take a suggestion from the junior agent, but he had to admit, the name was clever.

Tony suddenly felt a pawing at his foot. He looked down to see the puppy dropping his tennis ball at Tony's feet, expecting him to throw it again for him. Tony sighed and tossed the ball again. All he wanted was to eat his food. Just as the ball was picked up and Mac started to trot back to Tony, someone was at the door. Mac started barking like crazy, but stopped once he realized it was only Ziva coming back from her run.

She frantically tried to quiet the dog as she picked him up and rubbed him between the ears. "Sshh," she said. "Don't wake the babies."

Too late. Ten seconds later, a lonely cry was echoing throughout the house. Ziva sighed and Tony glared at the puppy. "That's Gi," Tony said as he turned to go up the stairs after planting a kiss on Ziva's cheek.

She shook her head. "No, Tony. That's Allie."

"No it's not!"

Ziva laughed. She knew she was right, but decided to play along. "Yes, it is." Mac let out a quick bark, agreeing with Ziva. Then, another cry let out. "Now _that_ is Giana."

Tony shook his head, not understanding how she could tell the difference between the two cries. Then, he hurried up the stairs, letting Ziva have a couple minutes alone with the new puppy.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Mac wasn't quite sure what to make of the girls. So far, all he ever heard them do was cry. And cry and cry. When they weren't crying, they were eating. Or sleeping. But sometimes, when the whole family was together in one part of the house, one, or both of the girls would be set down on their stomach close to Mac. They would try to prop themselves up or reach for the puppy, babbling as they hit the floor with their little hands. Sometimes they even rolled over, amazing themselves. Then, Mac would try to roll over too, earning claps from either of his "parents". Or maybe the claps were for the babies. Whatever.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Giana rolled over onto her back as she had seen her sister do it. Smiling and shocked that she could do something so cool, she looked up at her parents expectantly, who were laughing and clapping for her. She looked over to her side and saw their new puppy, Mac, do the same thing. She cheered in baby-speak and put her hands together for her new friend. The puppy flipped back over and Giana tried to as well. This was more difficult. Eventually giving up, she started to whimper until she was picked up off the floor by her daddy. She looked over at her sister, who was sleeping in their mama's arms, and decided she was tired as well. She closed her eyes as her daddy held her in his arms.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and just smiled.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: okay, I know, total fluff. But fluff is cute and fun to write. Sorry if it's too short, but I just wanted to get something out there before I leave for vacation tonight. I'll be gone for 10 days, and I promise to try and update when I get back.**

**As for last chapter's note: I'm making Jeanne seem nice because in later chapters, I want her to seem like she changed a whole lot from last chapter. **

**Please, please review, and I just may give you a little "sneak peek" for a future chapter!**

**-TM5**


	34. What If?

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: What If?**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. Still don't own NCIS….but if I did, Tony and Ziva would have been together after Kill Ari.**

**And PLEASE don't hurt me for not updating! The start of high school has been crazy (but really fun), and I've been suuuperr busy. But no school today – it's Election Day!**

**Summary of previous chapter:**

_Giana rolled over onto her back as she had seen her sister do it. Smiling and shocked that she could do something so cool, she looked up at her parents expectantly, who were laughing and clapping for her. She looked over to her side and saw their new puppy, Mac, do the same thing. She cheered in baby-speak and put her hands together for her new friend. The puppy flipped back over and Giana tried to as well. This was more difficult. Eventually giving up, she started to whimper until she was picked up off the floor by her daddy. She looked over at her sister, who was sleeping in their mama's arms, and decided she was tired as well. She closed her eyes as her daddy held her in his arms._

_Tony and Ziva looked at each other and just smiled._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Husband and wife federal agents are killed, leaving behind their two young children," ZNN news reporter Debra Green said to the camera before Gibbs changed the channel, not wanting to hear what he had been hearing the whole day.

He rubbed the black band slid over his badge, sighing. He looked up to see Abby bouncing in front of his desk. "What is it, Abs?"

"Where's Ziva?" Abby replied.

"Break room. Why?"

"BECAUSE, Gibbs! She hasn't been back to work to, you know, work, in over 5 months!"

Gibbs half-heartedly smiled as he stood up and kissed her cheek. "You can go see her _after_ you finish those ballistic reports."

"But I did, Gibbs!"

He waited for her to go on. "And…?"

"And both Special Agent Turner and his wife Special Agent Turner-Shea were killed with the same weapon…an FBI issued Glock." She stopped. "Do they know what's gonna happen with their kids?"

"Child services are waiting for their grandparents to fly in from Milwaukee. You're saying someone from the FBI killed them?"

"No. Based on the report of the shootout they were in, one of the bad guys grabbed an FBI agent's gun and then shot Turner and Turner-Shea. Only problem is…no security cameras. So we can't be sure."

"Good work Abs. Now go find Ziva."

"Good work? We still don't know who shot them!"

"Sure we do," Gibbs said before walking to the elevator towards Autopsy. Abby made a confused face and skipped to the break room to find Ziva.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Ziva!" Abby yelled as soon as she saw her best friend.

"Abby! Oh!" she gasped as Abby grasped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"I missed you SOO much!"

"I saw you last night, Abby."

"But I missed you HERE. You were my missing musketeer."

"Muske- what?" Ziva asked, very confused.

"Musketeer, Sweetcheeks," Tony said, walking into the break room to get some food. "As in the Three Musketeers….never mind," he said as he pressed on the top of the vending machine and a Ghirardelli chocolate bar popped out. "We'll have to watch it."

Ziva groaned. She turned to Abby. "Tony has a list of movies that he insists I must watch. It is driving me _apples_."

"Do you mean _bananas_?" Abby asked, hiding a laugh.

"What_ever_."

Abby's phone began to ring and she answered it, smiling. "Timmy! What can I do for you today?" She walked out of the room, leaving Tony and Ziva alone.

"Tony," Ziva said solemnly.

"Mhmm?" he asked, eating his chocolate.

"Agent Turner…and his wife…"

"Awful, isn't it?" he offered Ziva his last piece of chocolate, but she refused.

"Their little boy is only three…and their baby is just over nine months old…"

"I know where you're going with this, Zi."

The reality of the situation hit her hard. "What if…Tony, what if-"

"That were to happen to us?" He pulled his sobbing wife into a hug. "I know."

"As a child, I barely knew my mother before she died. I was never close to my father," she explained, her tears lightening up. But then they came back. "If Allie and Giana had to live through that, I-"

"Shhh, Ziva…" Tony tried to reassure her, but he knew the same thing could happen to them any day. "Don't think about that, okay?"

She nodded, then dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "You're phone's ringing, Tony."

"Boss?" he answered. "What's up?"

Tony listened to what his boss was telling him and started to smile. Ziva, quite confused, asked him what had happened when he hung up. "I don't know how the hell he did it, but Gibbs found the perp. He's bringing him in now."

Ziva's face lit up. Her first day back from maternity leave, and already something exciting was about to go down in interrogation. Of course, Gibbs probably wouldn't let her anywhere near the shooter, after being so "out of practice" as McGee had called her, but oh well.

"And…" Tony finished, "he wants _you_ to interrogate him."

Ziva smiled and pulled her fist down in a "yes!" motion, before kissing Tony lightly and dragging him out the door. What an awesome way to get revenge.

**A/N: ok…kinda weird ending, but oh well. Again, I'd like to apologize for not updating sooner, but life has been insane. **

**Thoughts on Season 8? So far, I'm loving it. I'd have to say, though, "Cracked" was a bit of a let down after "Royals and Loyals" and "Dead Air" with Tiva moments…but hey.**

**AND HOW ABOUT THOSE SPOILERS FOR WHEN ELI DAVID COMES BACK? I won't say anything here for spoiler-free people, but I think I'll put up a section on my profile for spoilers.**

**Thanks for sticking with me! **

**-TM5**


	35. Hurt

**Tiva: A Love Story**

**Chapter title: Hurt**

**Author: tivamcabby5**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. Still don't own NCIS**

**Note: Yeah. I'm lame. I know. Now on with the story. Let's pretend "Broken Arrow" never happened.**

**WAIT. The girls are now roughly 10 months old, kay? But pretty soon we're gonna go through a MAJOR time jump. Well, not too major. I'll probably do their 1****st**** b-day and then skip some months.**

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Zivaaa!" Tony called from upstairs. "Can you get the phone? I'm giving Allie her bath!" He gently worked baby shampoo through Allie's darkening hair, being careful not to get it in her eyes. He grabbed some of the bubbles surrounding her and played with them in front of her. She reached for them and babbled, cooing a "Da-da" and splashing. "Good girl!" Tony said excitedly. Both girls often confused "Mama" with "Da-da", but this time Allie had gotten it right.

He was about to pull the plug from the drain when Ziva stepped through the doorway, baby Gi glued to her hip and Mac following closely behind. She had a scared look on her face when she held the phone out to Tony. "It's your father," she said. He understood the look and took Giana from Ziva and set her on the floor so Allie could have her bath finished. He took the phone from his wife and gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before walking into their bedroom across the hall.

"Hello? Dad?"

"Anthony."

"Dad…what's wrong?"

His father sighed. "Ziva didn't tell you?"

"Well, you didn't tell Ziva, so no."

"Right. There's been an accident, Anthony."

"A _what_? Dad, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I fractured my femur, that's all."

"Dad, that's kind of a big deal," Tony whispered, putting his hand to his neck. "When?"

"Yesterday. I got in a car wreck. The Rolls Royce is trashed."

"No, Dad. When are you coming here?"

"I…I don't…"

"Dad, that's the only reason you called. Otherwise you wouldn't have."

"I need a place to stay while I heal up. You know, with my crutches and all."

"When should I come pick you up?"

"I'm checking out tomorrow," Senior said. "And Anthony?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Thanks."

"Yeah." He hung up and sat down against the wall. _Now_ his father tried to reconnect with him? After everything he had missed – the wedding, the girls, both of his stays at the hospital? If he didn't want to talk to his son then, why did he now?

When he walked back into the bathroom, Ziva was just finishing giving Allie her bath. "My dad broke his leg. So he's coming to stay with us for a while."

Ziva nodded, not exactly thrilled. She had gotten along with Tony's father the first time they had met, but after he didn't show up at the wedding or to meet his granddaughters, she wasn't exactly happy with him. "When?" she asked, drying Allie off.

"I have to pick him up tomorrow from the train station."

"Why now?" Ziva said, trying to stay calm. "Why does he pick _now_ to come back into our lives?"

"Ziva, can we talk about this later?"

"Fine. I just want to know what makes him think that it's okay to disappear and then come back."

Tony picked up Giana from the floor and went to put her down to sleep, following Ziva to the nursery.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Ziva. Ziva, please don't break anything," Tony said, sighing. Ziva was still peeved and was taking her anger out on cleaning the bathroom. She flushed the toilet to get rid of the cleaning stuff and slammed down the lid. Finally emotion got the better of her and she collapsed onto the toilet and fought back tears.

"Zi," Tony whispered, crouching down at her side. "Shhh."

She wiped away the single tear crawling down her cheek and looked up at Tony. "I am sorry. I do not…I do not know what came over me."

"I do," Tony said. "You're stressed. You're exhausted. And now my dad coming out of nowhere…"

"Yeah, that is not helping."

"There's just one thing I don't get. Last time we saw him you seemed to really like him. And now…"

"He missed our _wedding_ Tony. His only son's wedding. He didn't come when Allie and Giana were born. And now, out of nowhere…I'm quite sure he could have hired someone to help him."

"He's getting old. He wants to be with his family."

Ziva sighed. She was overreacting. "You are right. I just wish…"

"I know. Me too. Come on, let's go to bed."

She nodded. "I will clean up the guest room tomorrow. Go grocery shopping. It's Saturday, so I have all day."

He kissed her head. "Sounds good, Sweetcheeks."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: Well, folks, there ya have it. I am on vacation (at home! Yay!) for the week so I'll try and update before Easter. And guess who sent her Pauley Perrette autograph request letter yesterday? Mee! Sorry. So excited. Hopefully I'll have the same success that I did with Mark Harmon, but who knows?**

**Please review and thanks for reading!**


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